


This morbid feeling isn't love

by Yumi



Series: This feeling [1]
Category: Free!
Genre: A/B/O, A/B/O dynamics 101, Alpha!Sousuke, Heat Cycles, Knotting, M/M, Omega!Haru, Omegaverse, Rut, Self-Lubrication, ishouldbeburiedforthis, lotsofbiting, rebellious omega, sexy pheromones
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-28
Updated: 2016-02-29
Packaged: 2018-05-16 20:44:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 33,759
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5840338
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yumi/pseuds/Yumi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"What's the difference between the love of your life, and your soulmate?"<br/>"One is a choice; the other isn't." </p><p>From the very first meeting, Sousuke and Haru began to have a detestable form of attraction. </p><p>SouHaru, Omegaverse.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Introduction
> 
> The 'Blood' is a class of human species that retain historic remnants of animalistic characters. It derives from a mixed heritage of lions and wolves, loosely similar in several aspects of hierarchy. They are separated into three types: Alpha blood, Beta blood and Omega blood. The outward appearances of each Blood category varies. 
> 
> Alpha Blood:  
> Alphas consist of approximately 1% of the population. Because they do not actively seek out Omegas due to the rarity, they often live their lives with Betas. This causes a dilution in the Blood, resulting in decreased 'purebloods' in the Blood community. Several Blood families, however, stick closely to tradition and are usually in contact with each other to produce pureblood offspring. 
> 
> Physically, an alpha defers from a Beta by the presence of a 'knot' at the base of their penis. The knot only inflates during intercourse with an Omega due to pheromone scent differences, and almost never with a Beta. They tend to be taller and bigger built with mildly larger sex organs. They are capable of producing scents to deter other Alphas, and the purer the Blood, the stronger and more dangerous they Alpha tend to seem. 
> 
> While able to have multiple Omegas, it is extremely uncommon as the population of Omegas is even smaller than Alphas. Once paired, and Alpha and Omega remain together for life. Alphas are able to mask the scent of their partnered Omega, except for when the Omega is in heat where a fight is fair game. Unpaired Alphas (also known as rogues) have the right to challenge the paired Alpha in a fair fight, though it was often avoided because it usually leads to grave injuries or even death. 
> 
> At the same time, multiple Alphas may share a single Omega if they share a close bond with each other, such as kin or best friends. Small challenges between the Alphas may occur to decide who mates first, although the battles are never as serious as when a paired Alpha fights with a rogue. 
> 
>  
> 
> Beta Blood:  
> The general population of human falls in this category, and near-all have forgotten their heritage of Blood. Due to the dilution of Blood, their senses are dampened to Alpha scent-marks or Omega pheromones. They lack the physical traits that Alphas and Omegas possess. However, it is not unusual for a Beta to produce an Alpha or an Omega due to recessive genetics.
> 
> Betas can pair with an Alpha and even Omegas, however they will not be able to impregnate an Omega. 
> 
> Omega Blood:  
> Only a mere 0.3% of the population fall under this category, making them often sought after and well-protected. They are important as they are the only ones capable of bearing a pureblood once mated with an alpha. 
> 
> After the first meeting between an Alpha and an Omega, the Omega immediately starts a heat cycle induced by the scent of the Alpha. The process is usually irreversible unless suppressants are taken beforehand. An Omega in heat will release a pheromone that grows stronger by the day, peaking at a week in search of a suitable Alpha, usually defined by scent and strength. He will only allow the strongest to mate with him. Emotional status will not override physiological behaviour, and Omegas will accept only the strongest Alpha(s) even if they are complete strangers. 
> 
> An Omega in heat does not guarantee pregnancy, though if fertile enough, an Omega can produce an average of two to five offspring in their entire lives. 
> 
> Once bonded with an Alpha, they stay loyal until death, avoiding contact with other rogue Alphas and will not mate with anyone else. This status will only change if his current Alpha is defeated by a rogue Alpha in a fair fight. This is rare because an Alpha almost never leaves the side of his Omega, and will mate with him often to suppress the scent of his Omega by marking his scent glands at his wrists and neck. 
> 
> Some Omegas may however, be unaware of their descent and can live unaffected lives like Betas, and even reproduce normally like a male. This is provided that they do not meet an Alpha (who are the triggers of their heat) before the age of thirty-five.
> 
> Physically, they are average built, smaller and lithe compared to an Alpha. This in turn makes them more agile for fleeing rogue Alphas. Although not weak, they tend to remain inferior to Alphas and let them fight, although Omegas are known to interrupt and defend their own Alphas first. 
> 
>  
> 
> Eternal summer storyline, with some mild tweaks here and there.

* * *

“Haru, someday, either you, or someone else you know may be caught between a lover and a soulmate,” his mother said in a gentle voice. It calmed him, as did the gentle patting on his head.  
  
“What's the difference between a lover and a soulmate?” Young Haru questioned, looking up at his parents. They both smiled, and he watched as his father pulled his mother close, replying:  
  
“One is a choice, the other isn't.”

* * *

 

Haru's eyes drifted open as the memory faded, allowing consciousness to take over. It had been he first time in over a decade that this particular memory surfaced. It was unusual; before, he had always thought little of it. It wasn't important enough to make him dwell on it in the morning, as he had never once considered having a partner of any sort. He didn't think he'd be the type, anyway.  
  
The sudden thumping of familiar footsteps drew his attention just a little, but he remained unmoved sitting in his bathtub. He listened closely as the footsteps drew closer, and finally, the door of the bathroom slid open, revealing Makoto and his every usual panic-stricken face.  
  
“Haru-chan! We're going to be late if you continue like this!” Makoto whined out in worry as he picked up his best friend's discarded clothing on the bathroom floor.  
  
Haru merely side-glanced at the motherly figure who never once ceased the daily chore of picking up after him. He wasn't trying to take advantage of Makoto; no, never. He had told him countless of times that he could do it himself, but Makoto never seemed to comply. The latter took matters into his own hands, ensuring that the house was always kempt. Probably a big influence from his mother who constantly ensured that their house was neat.

Bored, Haru blew bubbles at where his face was partially submerged. He didn't want to go to school – school was such a chore. He'd rather stay in the bathtub soaking, or better yet, be at the pool swimming his heart out. Makoto was the only reason that his attendance record was actually checked.

“Come on, Haru! I'll even make breakfast for you.”  
  
Oddly enough, Haru wasn't in the mood to squabble with Makoto today, and replied: “I want mackerel.”  
  
“Yes, yes,” sighed the other individual, but smiled after as Haru finally stepped out of the bathtub... in his swimming trousers, of course.  
  
Once dressed in his school uniform, Haru made his way to the dining hall where breakfast was already prepared. He thanked for the meal and dug into the mackerel that Makoto made. It wasn't a hundred percent to his liking, but he appreciated Makoto's efforts and ate without complaints. He could satisfy himself during dinner tonight.  
  
“Haru! I just checked your mail. Look! There's one from Australia!” Makoto burst into the hall with overflowing excitement. Hearing what Makoto said, though, Haru's face did light up upon hearing the news.  
  
Makoto sat next to his childhood friend and gave the letter to the true recipient, and Haru wasted no time opening the envelope. Both of them read the contents, with Makoto peering over Haru's shoulder. Although the shift in expression was subtle, Makoto could tell Haru was bursting with excitement once the letter was read finished.

“Rin is back,” Haru said out loud. This statement was backed by the fact Rin had written,

It had been a month since they had heard from Rin. The swimmer had joined an exchange programme during the winter holidays back in Australia. The last time they parted, Rin's last words were: “Just before I return, expect a mail from me!”   
  
“Haru-chan, let's go find him after school with Nagisa and Rei!”  
  
On a normal basis, Haru would decline, saying that he'd rather be swimming. But this... was definitely special to him, though he would never admit out loud. What was better than swimming alone, was swimming with his best friend and rival.  
  
Haru nodded right away, and Makoto was happily chatting on about getting a welcome-home present for Rin.

* * *

  
  
“One month sure passed quickly!” Nagisa was skipping as they walked from the train station closest to the neighbouring school. He was jumping for joy after he heard the news of Rin's return, although it was accompanied with a sheepish grin that indicated that he had accidentally forgotten about the redhead. Now that his memory was jolted, he couldn't sit or stand still the moment he heard that they were going to pay Rin a visit.

Rei couldn't quite share the same level of excitement, but he was thrilled nevertheless. Having looked up to Rin since the year before, he couldn't wait to learn more from the experienced swimmer.

Once they were in Samezuka, the group was met with a small problem: where to start searching for Rin. They decided that they should begin from the dormitories, as Gou directed so. The only reason why the club manager didn't follow along was a shopping spree with her classmates.

They reached the Samezuka dormitory, and a passer-by offered to go search for Rin. They waited in the main hall for guests, and Haru chose the moment to excuse himself.

Haru searched about for where the washroom could have been, and he was sure he had seen a sign as they entered the school grounds. He wasn't bad in directions; he blamed the fact that the Samezuka buildings were built too similar. When he actually did find the washroom, he had problems heading back to the dormitory.

The teen rubbed the back of his neck. The more he wandered about, the more confused he got. There wasn't anyone around he could ask, either. He had merely been aimlessly walking around and trying to find any form of familiarity. He had passed the library, a few club rooms... and he reached the front of the gymnasium. Finally, somewhere he was familiar with.  
  
He could make his way back to the dormitory from the pool, knowing the way from there. As he approached the doors, he heard the tell-tale sound of someone diving into the water. Wondering if it could be Rin, he entered the pool compound, eyes first sparkling at the sight of the huge indoor pool, easily twice as big as the one in Iwatobi.

Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw a lone swimmer, most likely to be the one who had caused the splashing noise from before. Judging by the hair color, it wasn't Rin. A little disappointed, he was about to tread across to the opposite doorway when he noticed that the swimmer was already on his returning lap. He'd jump in, but admittingly, meeting Rin was of a little more importance... just this one time.  
  
By the time the swimmer was done, Haru was nearly at the doors leading to the outer grounds. He could hear swimmer hoisting himself up and out of the pool, and Haru happened to look over his shoulder. That was when sapphire met teal, and breaths held.

There was an underlying twinge that Haru felt somewhere at the back of his mind. It was as if someone had just clicked a switch, but for a purpose unknown. All that he could process was that there was a sudden urge to be... bitten. And it wasn't just anywhere. It just _had_ to be his neck.

The swimmer begun striding towards Haru, and the latter flinched all of a sudden. There was something very different about this guy, and Haru was feeling a mild tingle under his skin. It was encouraging him to flee, but he felt like a deer caught in the headlights. He wanted to run, and at the same time, to be chased by this person as if to test his worth.

And he finally did.

Haru turned on his heels and broke into a sprint. The stranger gave a surprised shout, but Haru didn't heed. He wasn't sure where he was going, but the sudden urge to be chased like a game of cat and mouse kicked in. He didn't like it the least bit, but his body moved on its own accord.

The teen took an unknown turn, running along the building of the indoor pool. He was sure he had expended every single energy into his legs, but they weren't trained for running. Haru didn't even make it past the building's corner when his wrist was seized.  
  
Effortlessly, he was tugged back and pushed against the wall, and Haru's eyes widened at the bulk of the person before him. Up close, the student was taller and bigger, and Haru pressed himself back against the wall as much as he could.

Haru swallowed. There was this _scent_ coming from the stranger that caused a burning in the chest. It was strong and overpowering, attractive yet repulsive at the same time. It made him fearful yet... excited? His heart was thumping quickly, even faster than when he did his all swimming free. Adrenaline coarsed through his veins, urging him to react.

While Haru faced him, eyes never once left observing the taller individual. The latter had chased him down barefooted, but didn't seem the least bothered by it. Droopy teal eyes were affixed on his face, studying. Haru met his gaze for a second or two, but for some unknown reason, he had to tear his eyes away from the gaze, completely turning his head away that his neck was exposed and vulnerable.  
  
The raven-haired teen felt trapped. One hand was still grasping his wrist, disallowing escape, while the other was planted on the wall next to his head. The invasion of personal space for Haru was suffocating, especially when it was coupled with the weird smell coming from this guy. It was so strong that Haru felt weak at the knees, not understanding what was going on.

“You are...” The person started in a deep voice, only to be interrupted by a voice calling out. Immediately, he withdrew, not wanting to be caught in such a position.  
  
“Haru-chan! Are you here?” Makoto's voice sounded close by, and the swimmer retreated, putting some space between Haru and himself.

Makoto eventually exited the doors of the indoor pool, and came into view with Nagisa and Rei hot on his heels. A familiar redhead appeared as well.  
  
“Told you he'd be at the pool!” Nagisa smiled out, and Rei adjusted his glasses with a mild shake of his head.

Once Haru saw the faces he recognised, Haru brushed past the tall swimmer, uncharacteristically throwing himself into Rin's arms. The redhead was shocked, as were the others. Haru was never a touchy-feely person, but they all simply thought that Haru had missed Rin too much to maintain his usual composure.

“Jeez, Haru, it was just a month,” Rin patted Haru's back gently after returning the hug. “Didn't think you'd miss me this much,” he laughed after, and Haru pulled back, slightly embarrassed for his unusual action.

He tossing a second's look at the stranger name Yamazaki Sousuke. However, he regretted it immediately, because all of a sudden, pure scorn was thrown in his direction. He couldn't understand why, but he tensed up in response.

“I see you've met my new roommate. This is Yamazaki Sousuke. He was a friend back in Sano Elementary, just before I went to Iwatobi. He'd just transfer to Samezuka!” Rin introduced, walking over to the person called 'Sousuke'. The redhead placed a hand on the other's shoulder, giving a sheepish grin. “Get along, yeah?”  
  
Instantly, Haru felt warmth coarsing through his entire body. A hand of his subconsciously clutched the front of his shirt, and he wondered what the deep, odd feeling in his chest was. It was similar to what he felt moments ago, but this time, it was stronger.

* * *

 

The group returned to the guest hall of the dormitory, and Sousuke had excused himself to change into presentable clothing.

Makoto noticed that Haru had been rather off since the time they found him at the (Nagisa suggested searching the area first when Haru was taking too long to just find a washroom). Although the boy was naturally quiet, this silence of his was different, and only Makoto could tell. He didn't want to bring it up in front of everyone, knowing that Haru wouldn't appreciate the attention on him. He decided to talk about it later, maybe when they were together alone.

“I was surprised that Haru-chan wasn't swimming in the pool already,” Nagisa chuckled out.

Rin laughed at Nagisa's statement, nodding in agreement. “Yeah, I remember you telling me that he was going to jump into a fish tank once.”

“How about you, Rin? How was Australia?” Makoto slipped in the question smoothly, diverting the topic from Haru.

“It was okay, same old stuff. Got looked down at a little because I was smaller than the other guys, but you should see their faces when I owned them in races,” Rin paused, giving a wide smile. “Honestly, I did miss you guys heaps. There were countless of times I wanted to contact you guys, but I held back because I didn't want to bother you.”

“Awww Rin-chan, know that we're always here for you,” Nagisa pretended to bawl, taking both of Rin's hands in his. The redhead was mildly surprised as the gesture, but returned a laugh.

“Of course, that was in the past.” There was a gentle smile that graced Rin's lips as he talked about his endeavor. “I was looking forward to meeting everyone again, and the joy just increased by ten folds finding out Sousuke had transferred here. It's been ages since I've last seen him, and I can't lie about missing that big bloke.”  
  
“Rinrin's so sappy!” Nagisa jeered.  
  
“Hey! I'm not!” The redhead snapped.

Haru stood up all of a sudden, giving the group a small startle.

“Haru-chan? What's wrong?” Nagisa questioned.

“Toilet,” he blatantly lied. “I didn't manage to go just now.”

“Aah. Just go down this hallway and turn right. Don't end up at the pool again,” Rin pointed with a grin. Haru didn't reply, but heeded the instructions given.

Once he was out of sight from the group, he letting out a sigh, hanging his head. He couldn't understand why he felt a sudden discomfort hearing Rin talk so intimately about the Sousuke person. He wasn't against Sousuke per say, but it was... unnerving. Like he was jealous?

Haru shook the thought away. It wasn't possible. Besides, he was never the type to get jealous.

Yet, when he recalled, he remembered a peculiar scent coming from the Sousuke guy. He remembered it to be strong, alluring yet dangerous at the same time. His neck tingled at the memory of the scent, and it was so vivid that he seemed to be able to smell it right there.

“You're Nanase Haruka, aren't you?”

A deep, stern voice spoke from behind and Haru turned in shock, bumping his shoulder against someone taller. The teen backed away a few steps, and felt adrenaline kick into his system to run again. But before he could do so, a wrist of his was grabbed by a strong hand, immobilising him.

“Why did you have to be an Omega,” Sousuke growled out.

Haru's eyes widened. _A what?_  
  
Before he could even reply, Haru winced when the grip around his wrist tightened threatingly.

“Listen here,” the taller swimmer drew their faces close, glaring down Haru. “I won't have you as a mate. I've got Rin, and I'm never going to let him down. Also, don't ever get in Rin's way again. ”

Once the words were spoken, Sousuke retreated, leaving Haru dumb-founded as he watched the larger silhouette disappear around the corner.

The teen couldn't even comprehend the situation of what Sousuke had done, much less make out whatever Sousuke had just said to him. What was an 'Omega'? And why in the world would he use such a foul-sounding word like 'mate'? And why was there an implication that Sousuke and Rin shared a relationship deeper than just friends?

There it was again, a sudden bizarre sensation in his chest. He clutched the front of his shirt once more. It had actually hurt more than the stinging of his wrist.

 

* * *

 

“Haru-chan, are you alright?” Makoto asked as they scaled the stairway that led to Haru's house. The other never replied, staring down at the steps as he walked up them. Knowing that Haru would answer when he felt like doing so, Makoto dropped the subject, as much as he didn't want to.

“We've decided to catch up over dinner tomorrow, and hear about Rin's trip to Australia. You'll join us too, won't you?”

Haru was about to shake his head. He wasn't in a mood to be hanging around with the others just yet. The incidents of today had left him a quite disinterested in a gathering. As usual, he'd rather be swimming, soaking in the bath at home or cooking mackerel.

“Oh, maybe we can get Rin to invite his friend. Yamazaki-kun, was it?”

Upon the mention of the name, Haru's feet stopped, freezing on two separate steps. His jaw tightened at the resurfacing memories of the evening.

If he could, he'd just avoid seeing that person altogether. It was clear that Sousuke had some sort of of problem with him, though he wasn't sure what it was. His only clue was that it was related to Rin, but he couldn't think of anything that would create hostility with a person he had just met. More than that, Sousuke seemed pretty unhappy with him in other aspects, and not just his relationship with the redhead.

He still remembered the other swimmer's words carefully. Sousuke had called him an 'Omega', whatever that was. Also, there was a firm statement that Haru would never be taken as a 'mate'. The word alone left a sour and weird feeling. The suggestion of the word made his skin crawl with discomfort, but oddly enough, not out of disgust. He doubted they could be friends, much less 'mates', if he had caugh the implication correctly.

Everything started to turn weird the moment he had met Sousuke at the pool. He could smell things, and experienced sensations he had never once before. Haru didn't like it one bit. If the cause of everything was Sousuke, he may be the only person who could stop it.

Haru looked over at Makoto and nodded. He had questions, and he needed answers – there was only one person who could fulfil that right now.

 

* * *

 

Please leave a comment orz... It's the first free fanfic I'm doing because I just got sucked back into Free! hell. Souharu is my guilty ship.  


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Haru finds out more about himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for the support QwQ I hope the story doesn't disappoint. I'd love to hear more from people so that I can make this fic better!!

The next evening, Sousuke scrunched his nose when a familiar scent hit his nose while walking. He didn't even need to see where the Iwatobi students were – he could smell the direction and the distance they were from him. Rin was unaware, of course, and was busy chatting away about how the weather in Japan was way better than Australia's dry one.

The dark-haired individual paid half of his attention to his friend, while the other half became extremely conscious of the scent that only got stronger with every step. From what he could tell, Nanase and Tachibana were further down the road. True enough, once they scaled the mini-hill, he saw them waiting outside the Sukiyaki place they had decided on for dinner. Sousuke narrowed his gaze at the sight of a certain smaller male.

As if knowing that he was being watched, Haru looked over briefly. Their gaze met, and Sousuke didn't miss the sight of Haru tensing up for a few seconds, before averting his eyes.

 _Don't do that, goddamit_ , Sousuke thought to himself. He didn't need the boy to unknowingly submit to him. Haru's omega scent was slightly stronger than the day before, but he chose to ignore it.

“Rin! Yamazaki-kun!” Makoto called out, waving his arm in the air to attract their attention, though he didn't know that Sousuke had already known that they were there all along.

“Yo. Where's Rei and Nagisa?” Rin questioned as he glanced around a bit in search for the younger two.

Makoto gave a sound mixed between a sigh and a chuckle. “Unfortunately, they had a sudden make-up lesson that they couldn't get away from. They said to relay their apologies.”

“What's there to apologise, those two silly people,” the redhead laughed. “It couldn't be helped. Come on, let's get seated.”

Once the small group of four settled and made their orders, their conversation continued where they had left off.

“Ah, Sousuke-kun! How were your classes? Are you fitting in?” Makoto glanced over at the person sitting diagonally opposite him.  
  
Sousuke shrugged, not minding the other's friendly chatting. “Not too bad.”

“You should see how popular he became,” Rin grinned with his unnaturally sharp teeth. “He was flocked by so many people that only the teacher could disperse the crowd.”

Makoto laughed behind a hand softly, not wanting to sound rude when Sousuke let out a grumble.

“I'm not surprised. Yamazaki-kun is pretty good looking after-all. I wouldn't be surprised if he was popular in Samezuka.”  
  
“Oi, oi, Makoto,” the redhead twitched a bit. “Don't forget, Samezuka's an all-boys. The way you're putting it, it sounded as if the guys are going to ask him out or something.”

“That would be a bit...” Makoto trailed off awkwardly, sounding a little shy. He was saved when the waitress brought over their orders, welcoming them to enjoy their food.

Sousuke carefully observed the person opposite him. Haru had been silent all along, not a single pip from him. Haru was attentive to the conversation, but he didn't seem interested or keen to partake in it. It unnerved him a little, wondering why the boy would even bother to come out if he wasn't even going to socialise.

Sapphire caught teal by surprise, but once again averted. Sousuke wasn't the type to get annoyed easily, but he could feel it start to crawl under his skin.

 _Tap_. Sousuke blinked a little, wondering if he had imagined that.

Haruka was tapping his foot one the leg of his chair, although they weren't looking at each other directly. At first, Sousuke thought it was just the other trying to be funny and annoy him, so he chose to ignore it.

 _Tap, tap, tap_ , it persisted, and finally, Sousuke, being annoyed, took the hint.

Sousuke stood up, and Rin asked where he was going.

“Out for a breather. The smokiness in here is a little suffocating,” he tossed a fleeting glare with daggers at Haru before making a beeline for the back. Makoto did give a slight comment about how the restaurant wasn't as well ventilated for that night.

Haru got up as well, but gave his overused reason of 'washroom'. The other two simply nodded in acknowledgement before Rin continued ranting about his trip to Australia to an excited puppy-Makoto.

“What the hell was that all about?” Sousuke growled out from where he leaned against the wall around a corner.

“I need to talk to you,” Haru replied, deadpan. This time, he surprised Sousuke by taking wrist and dragging him out the back door of the restaurant. The latter didn't refuse, and let himself be led into the back street.

“And? What do you want?” Sousuke asked once Haru let his wrist go. His held back from scrunching his nose at the scent of Haru that was now stronger. The smell of food had masked most of Haru's omega scent back in the restaurant, but now there was none of that. He forced himself to cross his arms, keeping them to himself.

“Explain yourself.”

The taller individual studied the other's serious face. His eyes drifted slightly lower to where Haru's neck was, and his teeth started to itch. It was almost tempting to grab Haru's hair, pull his head back and sink his canines into the neck. However, he cast the thought aside – he didn't want his instincts to override his morals.

“Which part?” Sousuke questioned in a deeper tone, taking a step forward.  
  
Reflexively, Haruka took a step back for a reason unknown. He was picking up the strong scent again, and this time he was sure that it came from Sousuke. It made his skin tingle and the hair on his neck stand on ends. It puzzled him greatly, and he hated it.

“ _That_ ,” Haru huffed out.

By then, Sousuke could see Haru wavering, eyes dodging his. He knew that the boy wasn't even aware that he was submitting multiple times over, exhibiting his inferiority. Haru was startled when a hand slammed the wall behind him, mere inches from his head. Sousuke cast a downward look, cocking his head proudly.

“The Blood,” he started. “Is a lineage of hierarchy that humans derived from. It is long forgotten by most, however, except for some. There are three categories: Alphas, Betas and Omegas. Betas are collectively the normal population. Rin and your friends... all those guys are Betas; unaffected by the hierarchy. I'm an Alpha, and you're an Omega.”

“What-”

It was a split second's moment when Haru felt his senses being intoxicated by a sudden waft of an even stronger scent. It wasn't the alluring kind anymore, and his head was screaming danger. There was an impulse to flee the scene. However, he couldn't when he was trapped between Sousuke's two hands on either sides of his head. Haru felt paralyzed under the gaze of Sousuke's, and once again had to turn away to avoid eye contact.

“Put crudely, I'm the boss...” Sousuke whispered close to Haru's ear, seeing as the boy had willingly bared the side of his neck again. Very lightly, he placed his teeth at a spot right under Haru's ear, and he could hear a soft hitching coming from the omega before him. He gave a light bite, resisting the urge to just sink his teeth in and break skin.

“... and you're the bitch.”

Once hearing the degrading term, Haru snapped out of his momentary trance. He pushed forward, shoving the bigger person away. He glared hard at Sousuke as a hand protected his neck. He said nothing further and stormed off.

Sousuke watched the smaller figure retreat into the safety of the restaurant. Once Haru left his vision, he hid his face in the palm of his hand. He could tell that he was starting to waver only because of the Omega's scent alone, and that was what he came to detest himself for.

He didn't want to be driven by instincts; he didn't want to be forced into a life-long relationship with someone he disliked. He was sure that the feeling would be mutual with Nanase. It wouldn't be fair for either of them.  
  
_That's right... hate me, and reject me so that I don't get attached to you._

* * *

 

The daily routine for Makoto was the standard: leave for Haru's house after breakfast, help himself into his childhood friend's house(he'd scold Haru for leaving his doors unlocked all the time, but he never listened), usher him out the bathtub, either make breakfast for Haru or wait for him to make his own, and finally leave the Nanase household for school.

He didn't think today would be any different... except that he didn't find Haru in bath or the kitchen. Haru was never late to rise because he would always make ample time for soaking in the bath. The only time he didn't was when he fell terribly ill. Instantly, the teen was on his toes, making a beeline straight to Haru's room.

“Haru-chan?” Makoto called out as he walked around the house, just in case he might've missed him. When he was at the door of Haru's room, he knocked. When there was no response after a few raps, he went in, indeed finding Haru cacooned up in bed.

Panicking, he gave Haru a few small shakes, trying to wake the boy.

“Mmgh... Makoto?” Haru sleepily slurred out. Makoto was exceptionally early today. His alarm had yet to even ring. Or so he thought.

Tiredly, he sat himself up, rubbing his eyes.

“Why are you here so early?”

“I'm not early; you're up late,” Makoto sighed just a little, and placed the back of his hand on Haru's forehead for good measure. It was as he had suspected. “Haru, it seems like you're running a small fever,” Makoto said worriedly after. “I'll go make some porridge for you. Stay in bed!”

Haru sat there, dumb-founded. Like what Makoto had said, he could feel himself warmer than usual, but he felt indifferent. There wasn't any feeling of unwellness; not any more tired than his usual just-woke-up self whatnot. There was one thing unusual though: he raised a hand to rub at his neck, feeling a slight itch presenting itself somewhere under his ear. It was where Yamazaki had lightly bitten, and he couldn't relieve it by scratching.

Dismissing it, Haru lowered himself back onto his bed, staring up at the ceiling that adorned a single bulb. He wasn't too surprised about feeling lethargic; the events of the night before had left him wide awake through the wee hours of morning. For some reason, Yamazaki's puzzling words kept repeating in his head, but he still could not make sense of any of it.

Without his knowing, he had fallen asleep, only to wake again when Makoto had indeed, made and brought in a bowl of food. He had made porridge topped with mackerel shreds - just the food the Haru wanted.

Makoto was relieved that the fever didn't hinder Haru's appetite. In fact, he seemed to be eating normally without any difficulties.

“Shall I take you to the doctor's?”

Haru shook his head. He wasn't fond of doctors because of their restrictive suggestions, especially when it came down to his staple diet of mackerel.

“I'm fine,” Haru replied, clipped. He caught Makoto's ever worried green eyes look at him. “Really.”  
  
“You probably shouldn't swim today, though,” Makoto sighed.  
  
“I'm swimming.”  
  
“But Haru-chan-”  
  
“Makoto.” The name alone was enough to cause the said person to give in. Makoto knew he couldn't be too pushy with Haru – it made him feel bad. However, he'd feel even worse if anything happened to his best friend. Thus, Makoto fell silent, eyes caste down in defeat.

Sapphire eyes caught the worried frown, and it tugged at his heart. He never meant to make Makoto sad, but the other was really make a big hoo-ha over something small. He wasn't feeling unwell. A little warm, perhaps, but it wasn't affecting him in any other way.

Haru was sure he saw a pout, and his soft spot for Makoto prevailed as always. In the end, it was he who truly gave in.

“I'll see the school nurse,” Haru said, and saw Makoto's face light up. “But I'm still going swimming.” It was the least that he could bargain.  
  
That was all Makoto could ask for.

* * *

 

With Makoto's constant harping and reminder, Haru eventually stood before room with a sign that said “school sick bay”. Makoto knocked the door, going 'excuse us', and he ushered a bored looking Haru in.

“Miyagawa-sensei, would you mind taking a look at Haru-chan? He seemed to have caught slight fever,” Makoto started, knowing that Haru wouldn't even bother explaining his presence.

“Mm? Of course. Here... sorry?” The male school nurse in his forties gave a slightly questioning look.

“Nanase,” Haru replied.

“Nanase-kun, have a seat.” Miyagawa grabbed the digital ear thermometer off his desk and fitted it with a new cover. Once done, he turned to face his patient, with Makoto standing next to Haru. “So, when did it start?”

Haru sat there, disinterested in responding, and Makoto had to do it in his place. “This morning.”

“Any other symptoms? Coughing, flu, stomach pains...”

Haru shook his head slightly, and the nurse simply nodded as he took his temperature. When he pulled back, it left a few strands of Haru's hair sticking out.  
  
“37.9 degrees, borderline fever. I can give you some basic meds...” Miyagawa trailed off when he watched Haru lift his hand to straighten out his hair. He saw a distinct redness under the sleeve of the student's winter gear, and a mental alert occurred. He looked across Haru's shoulder to the taller teenager.

“Tachibana-kun, am I right? Sorry, but I'll be conducting a small medical check-up for Nanase-kun, just to be sure. So, I have to excuse you for a bit.”  
  
“Aa, that's alright. Haru, I'll head back to class first.” Makoto gave his best friend a small pat on the back. “Remember to listen to the nurse,” and smiled with Haru gave a very mild snort. He left the scene, and the room fell silent once Makoto's footsteps have trailed off down the corridor outside.

“You've had a run in with an alpha?”  
  
Haru's eyes widened a little, unable to hide his shock at the question. What was it that the school nurse knew of? And more importantly, how did he know?

“Your wrist is mildly swollen,” Miyagawa answered the unsaid question. As a reflex, Haru tugged the sleeve of his shirt down, and true enough, the veins of his wrist were slightly dilated, and held a shade of red to it. It would've resembled a bug bite, if it was so specific that only his veins were the ones swollen.

“Nanase-kun, please turn your head.”

The sudden request had Haru on edge. Why was the school nurse asking him to do so? It was such a weird thing to do, and it was coming from a person like this _-a beta, his mind subconsciously pointed out-_ who was making him exhibit vulnerability... There was no worth in the man before him.  
  
The thoughts had Haru stiffening where he sat. He couldn't comprehend the things running through his head. He didn't even know why.  
  
“No...” Haru flat out refused. He wasn't going to do something he wasn't comfortable with. Especially with a stranger, doctor or not.

Miyagawa nodded, leaning back into his seat and crossing his arms. His stance seemed less threatening to Haru, now that he could see that the hands were kept away.

“There's no doubt about it. You're an omega.”

“Excuse me...?”  
  
Miyagawa let out a huge sigh and rubbed the back of his neck. “I would've thought that I'd meet hormonal alphas – they'd a little easier to deal with.” He turned to his table and scribbled on a sticky note. “Nanase-kun, I believe you're aware of... the circumstance you're in?”  
  
“No.”

The school nurse turned to look at the student incredulously, resisting the urge to slap a hand on his forehead.

“A recessive omega, huh...” He uttered to himself. Because Miyagawa was sure that if Haru was born into a family consisting of at least an alpha or omega parent, they would have educated him about the Blood. He could see Haru's eyes fixed on him, expecting further explanation.

“Let's just say it's a little joke evolution had decided to do on a certain group of people. Everyone is part of this bloodline, but just about nearly the whole population of people are unaware of it. Your friend and I are under the category of 'betas', the general normality. You... you're what we call an omega – put crudely, a male capable of reproducing.”

Haru frowned at the information he was being told.

“Of course, it's not always the case. It's quite rare for an omega to fall pregnant, because an alpha is needed. The whole situation is a little... complicated. Even medical school can't teach everything due to information variations. All I can suggest now is that because you've met an alpha, things may change a little.”

“What do you mean?”

Miyagawa rubbed his nose, eyebrows coming together. “Your heat cycle has been triggered from meeting with an alpha-”  
  
_Yamazaki?_

“-and chances are, they'll be back to bond with you. However, given our time and age, we're a little more civilised than just leaving Blood matters to insticts. Thus, if you're not keen on forming a bond with the alpha you've met, or with any alphas for that matter, I'm going to have to send you away for a little.”

One thing for sure, Haru's not planning on any bonding with anyone. Not now, not ever.

“How long is this 'a little'.”

Miyagawa hesitated. “You're looking at two to five years.” Haru stood up from his seat, alarmed by the news. “That's because it takes lengthy amount of time for your body to register the absence of an alpha, and revert back to its 'original' state. It's like a safety mechanism, because the body will eventually get the idea that heat cycles would be useless since there are no alphas around."

The school nurse could see the underlying discontent of the student, and he raised his hands in defeat. “It's an institute catered for omegas. You'll still be taught, capable of getting degrees, and you can even do part-time jobs there in the meantime. Ah, but I heard that you may be isolated physically from the outside, for safety purposes...”

 _No_. Haru gritted his teeth. There was no way in hell he would leave for years on end with the knowledge that he couldn't see his friends. He wasn't going to be _free_ if he were cooped in some fancy-fied jail house.

“You face tells me that you're not keen...” Miyagawa sighed. Haru glancing away confirmed so. “If that's the case, there's only so much I can help you.” He held out the sticky note he had written on earlier. Haru had a quick glance to see that it was a some incomprehensible name, probably a drug of some sort.

“It's a heat suppressant you can pick it up at any pharmacist. How effective it is, is variable. I'm not sure how long this heat of your had begun-”

“Today,” _probably,_ Haru interrupted slightly. Or at least, he thought so.

“Today,” Miyagawa repeated with a nod. “If you can take the suppressants and somehow avoid all contact with alphas, in a week to a half, the heat cycle should die down. You'll be relatively safe then. At least, up to the next heat cycle.”

“How often... does this heat cycle happen?” Haru asked softly, a slight redness gracing his cheeks.

“Books say two to three months on average. But as mentioned, everything is dependent on the individual.” Miyagawa let out a cool sigh as he fished out something from his drawer. “As far as I know, you'll be relatively safe on school grounds, as there are no signs of alphas in our campus.” The fact that it was co-ed reduced the chances as well.

Miyagawa handed him another piece of paper. “A little more information. Just remember to watch your back at all times.”

Haru nodded and bowed as thanks. He stepped out of the nurse's office, and shut the door behind him. He paced down the corridor for a few steps, and his feet slowed to a halt. Haru took the chance to glance down at the piece of paper with the atrocious handwriting, coupled with a proper print.

What the hell is going on? How did this happen? And more importantly, why _him_?

* * *

 

  
_**Marking.** _

_That's when an alpha leaves his scent on the major glands at the neck and the wrists of an omega. Sometimes, omegas do not immediately submit to the first alpha they meet. Instead, they may will themselves to be marked, and await for the peak of their heat cycle before they choose their mate._

_A marked omega is an open challenge for other alphas to a fight. In the event that a single omega gets marked by two or more alphas, they will fight each other the moment they meet._

_**Seizing.** _

_A more violent form of marking. This when the alpha furthers his advancement by biting the back of the neck. This is by far the more dangerous of the two because once bitten, the omega falls into complete submission. Biologically, that's just the way it is to prevent both the alpha and omega from getting hurt._

_Seizing is also effective on alphas during fights, though not a hundred percent. While it is usually indicative of a fight with a winner, the seized alpha can still persist to challenge the winning alpha. However, this often results in fatality._

_**Bonding.** _

_When there is a mutual agreement to mating, the pair will bond for life. Generally, omegas avoid coming in contact with other alphas. An alpha can mask the scent of the omega by mating. Should an omega be found out, however, the rogue alpha can also mark and that is an issued challenge._

 

Haru folded the piece of paper after reading. Things were started to sound extremely ridiculous at this point. Nevertheless, he got the idea of what he should or should not do to ensure... problems didn't occur.

School had ended with the bells, and Haru waited by the lockers for his best friend who was roped into being teacher's pet of carrying books around. Thankfully, he didn't need to wait long before a taller figure came bounding in his direction.

“Haru!!” He heard Makoto's voice calling out. “Sorry, thanks for waiting. Let's head back!”

Both boys changed out of their school shoes and into their sneakers, and made their way home.

“How's everything?”

“He gave a prescription,” Haru replied, knowing that if he didn't Makoto would simply persist asking. Though, he wasn't being specific about what kind of drug he was meant to be buying, and Makoto seemed content to know that at least Haru would be taking something.  
  
“That's great... Haru-chan, I'll have to go to school early to help with some student council stuff. Will you be fine going to school alone?”

“It's not like it's the first time... and stop it with the '-chan'.” Makoto gave a chuckle and a 'yes, yes'.

“Make sure you go to school, okay?”

“Mm...”

“Haru!”

“Okay, okay.”

“Promise?”

Haru mentally sighed. Makoto was probably too used to Ren and Ran that he accidentally slipped into big brother mode... or in this case, mother hen.

“Promise.”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been madly typing TMFIL this for the past few days. Someone save me.  
> On that note, I'm pretty anal about getting character spot on, so if you find anything amiss... please do not hesitate to let me know.  
> The information used in the fanfic may not be accurate as well, be it intentional or not. ^^;  
> Yes, Iwatobi has upgraded to a heated pool because I magically funded them for it.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (finally) Some souharu moments for anyone greedy... and a bit of Sousuke's perspective on things.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's my birthday so I'm treating everyone to an extremely quick update~~ short chapter

* * *

Haru pressed the heel of his palm against his forehead. He wasn't sure if his fever had just gotten worse, because he felt awfully warm. As usual, there wasn't lethargy or anything. He was just feeling... hot. He wasn't even surprised when he could wipe away beads of sweat that had formed on his forehead.

Makoto hadn't dropped by this morning as mentioned before, thus his solo travel to school. Haru had considered skipping out on classes, but he had to adhere to the promise he made. No matter what, he would never break a promise, especially when it was one with the person he treasured most.

  
Haru had decided to detour to the 24/7 pharmacist before going to school. Having went home with Makoto the day before, he didn't want to risk his bestie taking a look or question what medication he was prescribed.

His eyes were focused on the ground in front of him as he walked the streets. It was relatively quiet in the neighbourhood at seven in the morning, save the occasional one or two people who passed by. It was peaceful, up until he heard someone speaking.  


"Look what we've got here", a stranger's voice sounded, and Haru snapped his head up.

Ocean blue eyes narrowed at the sight of three guys ahead, seemingly around their early twenties. University-aged students, perhaps. They wore snark grins on their faces, and Haru was thoroughly disgusted when one of them, to whom he mentally dubbed as 'Nosy', lifted his chin and gave a whiff of the surrounding air. He wasn't even subtle about the action.

"So this is what an omega smells like."

"Like drugs, huh," 'Piercings' agreed, mimicking his friend's action. They looked like they were high.

"Damn, I wish I could smell it," the last one, 'Chins' scrunched his nose, hopeful.

Judging by their scents and physique, Haru concluded he was up against two alphas and a beta. The two alphas slightly shorter than Makoto's height, and not as buff. Though, in comparison, Haru was scrawny, reflective of his class. The beta was about Rin's physique, if not smaller. Oddly enough, they weren't the least bit interesting, even if they were alphas. Perhaps, because he had already met Yamazaki...?

Choosing to ignore the hooligans, he cast his gaze away and continued walking. Instantly, he heard a 'hey' and felt a hand on his shoulder. Haru shrugged it off, backing away as if he was being electrified.

Belatedly, he realised that the alphas had him flanked, and Haru resisted panicking. His body temperature turned a little hotter, and he could feel his cheeks flush even harder now that the alphas were surrounding him. His nostrils flared at the proximity of their scents washing over him, and it started to make his knees weak.  
**  
**_Submit_ , the single, appalling word came to mind.  
  
_No_. Not to these weaklings. Not that Haru knew how strong they were, but in the back of his head, he knew of an alpha much more capable. It was his instincts that told him so.

"Damn, I want him now," Nosy growled out, and the voice made Haru shudder. It reflected the same as Sousuke's tone; deep, animalistic with intention.  
  
He had to get out of there, _fast,_ but all three stooges were blocking every escape path he had.

Piercings leaned down to the smaller figure and sniffed next to his ear. Haru slapped a hand against his neck, feeling a sudden need to protect it. He glared, and the only response he got was Nosy scowling.

"There's another alpha's scent barely lingering on him."

When the words were being said, the omega stiffened up. Haru didn't like the sound of where this was going. Underlying, he knew that the two alphas would get riled up at the scent of a rival. True enough, there was a subtle change in their gazes to something more primal.

"!?" Haru jumped when he a hand scaled under his jacket all of a sudden. Thankfully, it had slipped over his tucked shirt, avoiding direct skin contact.

Piercings had just openly felt him up. But no one was in sight to witness the harassment, and the teen would have to defend himself. Annoyed, Haru pushed him away with a dark scowl.

"Fiesty," Chins commented. Clearly, they were treating Haru as an entertainment.

The omega glared and forcefully squeezed himself through two people, when he got a wrist seized. Haru's entire body froze at the contact. While his mind was telling him to free his hand, his body reacted based on instincts - telling him to submit to the alpha.

"Let me go," Haru snapped, unable to hide the desperation that rose in his tone.

Piercings decided to shove his nose against the side of his neck, and Haru gritted his teeth. He knew what the alphas' intentions were; to mark him. He could feel the heat of the other's breath hot on his skin, indicating that his teeth were dangerously close-

"Nanase," a deep voice called out, tone laced with anger.

Hearing a voice he recognised, relief washed over him. Where he was, he could glance over at the tall form approaching with a hand in his Samezuka jacket. Sousuke was glaring over in his direction, and he stopped a few feet away.

Immediately, Sousuke's alpha scent washed over the small group, and Haru felt tingling down his spine. There was no doubt about it. In terms of superiority, Sousuke was above the two stranger alphas. Even they had faltered in their stances, backing off a little.

"Damn," Haru heard Piercings growl out, and released him. The latter could see that the strangers were immediately threatened by Sousuke's appearance.

"Come here," the commanding tone caused Haru to shudder. If he could, he would've rebelled against the order. However, Yamazaki was definitely a safer candidate to be with than these two whom he completely didn't know. And seemed to lack better control over their actions.

With his eyes caste to the ground, he slipped away from the alphas and beta. His legs moved on their own accord, partially hiding himself behind the stronger alpha. He took the chance rub the wrist that was grabbed, as if to get rid of a stain.

"He's fair game," Nosy stated, and it made Haru freeze. He sounded like some sort of a prized dog bone waiting to be seized. It sickened him.

Sousuke didn't reply, merely turning away and taking Haru by the smaller shoulders.  
  
“A few days!” One of the alphas said out loud. “I give you a few days. If that alpha isn't serious on bonding, we'll definitely find you.”  
  
Haru's hands clenched into tight fists. His ocean blue eyes continued staring at the ground as they walked on, guided by Sousuke's ushering. The hand on his shoulder was an oddly comforting touch, calming him. Once they were a fair distance away from the previous commotion, Sousuke removed his hand, and the contact left a lingering feeling.

“What kind of idiot struts around with a temperature?”

 _I'm not sick_ , Haru mentally corrected.

“I was heading to the pharmacist,” Haru defended himself a little.

Sousuke merely made a gutteral noise in response.

The rest of the walk was in complete silence. In his head, all Haru was telling himself was to settle down, as Sousuke's scent was causing his body to rile up even more. He had a slight wonder if his omega status was affecting Sousuke at all, because the male seemed awfully calm, unlike those bastards from before.

Haru stepped up to the doorway of the pharmacist, and raised a brow when Sousuke had followed him in.

“Why are you here?” The omega questioned with a hint of annoyance. Surely this guy wasn't that of a gentleman to specially escort him all the way to the store.

“Painkillers,” the answer was short and clipped. Briefly, Haru wondered what exactly could be causing this hulk of a person pain. They separated when Haru headed for the prescription counter, and Sousuke towards the off-shelf products.

Haru was blushing slightly when the pharmacist behind the counter read the sticky note. She tossed him a raised eyebrow, but said nothing and nodded as she scuttled off to find the correct drug.

Sousuke seemed to have gotten what he needed and left without saying a word. Haru was fine with that – relieved, even- and briefly saw the doors close behind on the Samezuka student.

“Take one these three times a day, with or without food. If the heat's too strong, you can up the dose to two tablets, but no more than eight a day. Side effects are drowsiness, and maybe nausea. If you experience any allergy reaction, stop immediately,” the pharmacist explained in detail as she handed Haru the box. “They should last for two weeks. Effectively, you should start the moment you start experiencing the heat.”

Haru nodded, still rather embarrassed for having need such a peculiar drug. He paid for it and exited the pharmacist, surprised when he could scent the alpha nearby. Peering to the side, Sousuke had been leaning against the wall some feet away, arms crossed. He side-glanced back at Haru with his teal eyes.

“Suppressants, I'm guessing.”

 _None of your business_ , Haru resisted frowning, and chose to look away instead. He started in Sousuke's direction, which also happened to be where Iwatobi School was.

Just as the smaller male walked past, Sousuke grabbed him by the wrist, and Haru yelped a bit when he was pulled against the big alpha. Sousuke only need an arm around Haru's waist to lock him in place, with them facing each other.

Haru had to crane his neck upwards to glare at Sousuke, while the latter stared down at him. Without a word, the alpha tips Haru's chin back, and wasted no time bringing their necks to touch each other's.

The omega felt himself relaxing into Sousuke's grasp, his legs turning limp. If it weren't for the arm around his body, he might've just slipped to the ground and melted through the cracks. Whatever Sousuke was doing was causing Haru to turn weak, influenced by the scent that clouded his senses.

If the stranger alphas had reciprocated this act, Haru wasn't sure he could think straight, much less fight back.

"Don't let rogues get to your neck," Sousuke breathed out, and Haru shuddered at the voice by his ear. "Damn that guy stinks."

Haru wasn't sure what the scent of the stranger alphas were like to Sousuke. He guessed they must've perceived scents differently. For Haru, the stranger alphas resembled cinnamon; rather okay yet not so much when they were too close. He wasn't the least bit attracted because another scent held his interest.

In comparison, Sousuke's was musky, mixed with the smell of chlorine the swimmer was sure to bathe in often. It was definitely more appealing to Haru... sort of like the sea?

Sousuke retreated a little and took either of Haru's wrist. The omega was entranced by the fact that Sousuke seemed to have unusually sharper canines, thought not as exaggerated like Rin's. The Iwatobi swimmer jerked and winced when the canines accurately sank into the veins of his wrist. First his right, then his left.

If Haru knew any better, he'd say Yamazaki had just marked him. Oddly enough, he didn't feel disgusted by it, but instead relieved. Something told him he could be a little safer with Sousuke than alphas like those before.

Wait.

Yamazaki had just marked him.

_Yazamaki. Had. Marked. Him._

The one person who had been directing hostility without reason since the first day they had met was now trying to _court_ him? That itself was wrong.

_Wrong, wrong, wrong._

Realising the mistake he had allowed, Haru gave the alpha a big shove. He put them at arms length of each other, breath on the verge of panting due to dread.

 _It's okay_ , Yamazaki didn't bite him at the neck; it was just the wrist. He wasn't being forced into submission.

Sousuke was puzzled at the sudden reaction, when belatedly, he had realised what he had done. He cursed under his breath and broke into a run, leaving a confused Haru behind.

* * *

 

If he could, Sousuke would've kicked himself. His head was definitely getting messed up by the omega's pheromones - it was easier to push all the blame to instincts rather than admit that he has acted out by his own will.

  
His trip to the pharmacist was meant to be smooth and simple. Sousuke told Rin that he was going for a run, but his true intention was to grab painkillers in secret. Seeing as the pharmacist was just two stops away, he decided to take a stroll instead.

Coincidentally, the wind brought to him the scent of a particular omega he knew. It was also when he smelt other alphas.

Reflex kicking in, he ran to the source of the scents. He could smell Nanase's fear, and that did not sit well with him. Once he managed to get the rogue alphas to back off, he  remained by the omega's side, just in case. Unexpectedly, their destination was the same.

Throughout the entire trip, Sousuke was tempted to rub his scent over the omega. The rogue alpha's scent lingered on Haru, and it was starting to annoy him. He tried to avoid doing so by getting what he required quickly and leaving. It didn't feel right leaving it as that, though, and the alpha in him was screaming in his head to reclaim what was his.

But when he eventually did, horror washed over him. 

What was he thinking, marking Nanase? 

Sousuke ran against the wind, wishing it could blow away the memories of what had happened.

He hated that he was driven by instincts. He hated how he was drawn in to the omega. He hated how he couldn't hate Nanase as much as he thought he would.

By the time he had got back the Samezuka dormitories, sweat was trickling from his head. When he opened the doors, he was greeted with his roommate grinning at him with unusually sharp teeth.

"Yo. How was the run?"

Sousuke noticed that Rin must've just finished his shower, judging by how the guy is strutting around in only his boxers and a towel to his wet hair. It wasn't a sight new to Sousuke, and he averted his eyes, or be caught staring for too long.

"Indifferent," was the only reply he gave as he shed his jacket, tossing it onto his bed.

"Boring," the other scoffed, towel-drying is red locks. "What's with the sudden urge to go run? Pent up?"

"What? You planning on helping me with it?" The bigger swimmer sneered with an underlying innuendo and Rin's face turned to a shade similar to his hair.

"Sousuke!!" Rin snapped, before giving said person a smack on the arm.

Sousuke let out a laugh. This was how it was supposed to be. He wasn't supposed to have eyes for anyone except his childhood friend.

Meeting Nanase was one thing; his intention was just to get the oblivious male out of Rin's life and take his hindrance elsewhere. Finding out he was an omega... that was an unforeseen part of the equation.

Knowing how Rin was so hooked onto Nanase made him undeniably jealous. Whenever the redhead could, he'd be joyfully speaking about the Iwatobi swimmer, or complaining about him.

Of course, Sousuke listened. He would do it for Rin any time, anywhere. Whatever Rin needed, he'd be there to help out. And he'd get rid of any obstacles in the way.

He had honestly thought he would spend his last year of high school peacefully with Rin, save the few times he intended to bother Nanase out of his wits. Guess fate decided to be a bigger pain in the ass than he thought.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i should get buried for this


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Iwatobi and Samezuka friends finds out about Sousuke and Haru in the most unexpected of ways.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I didn't make Haru seem like a water/mackerel addict.  
> AndI'msorryIlikesouharubitingabittoomuch.

* * *

It was in the late afternoon after classes that the students of the Samezuka swim club rallied together. With the number of members stabilised after the first-years joining, things were starting to get a little more serious.

As the captain, Rin started off by welcoming the first-years who had trialed and successfully made a place in the team. The redhead emphasised on bits and pieces of information like the rules, and approximate dates of major competitions. Further details were given in regards to how the general things ran around here, such as friendly matches with neighbouring schools.

“And speaking of which, Iwatobi swim club will also be joining us today.” The team was split up to do their respective warm-ups.

Sousuke didn't fail to catch Rin's sigh after everyone dispersed, and nudged him where he stood.

“Any particular reason?”

“Their pool's heater broke... or so I was told,” the redhead huffed and interlocked his fingers behind his head. “Or the real fact that Kou wants to oogle at the potential, or the more exact term _bodies_ , of the first years here, because Iwatobi wasn't so successful with their own first-year recruitment.”

Hearing that, Sousuke wanted to laugh, but reduced it to a single abrupt snort.

“Seeing their members, I'm not sure who would.”

“That's just mean.”

The butterfly swimmer shrugged. “Looking at a group of people from a third party's perspective... To me, Hazuki resembles a hyperactive pomeranian, Ryugazaki's a smart person who probably calculates the angle of jumps before swimming, and you have Nanase, a recluse with an eye for only swimming or something. The only one who seems remotely functional in the head is Tachibana, but he's like a sheep in a bear suit. How normal is that?”

“Well, from a third person's perspective, you're pretty accurate,” Rin laughed at the descriptive terms used for his Iwatobi friends. “But that's what makes me love those idiots.”

Sousuke couldn't help but stare a little when Rin gave a wide smile. He knew of the redhead's biggest attachment to his other friends, and he felt his heart sinking a little. Was it possible for him to be selfish and make Rin forget everyone from Iwatobi?

Casting the nasty thought aside, he began to start his warm-ups, deciding to give Rin a good shove to the ground when they were supposed to do seated leg stretches. It earned him an equal treatment, and the punishment doubled in fold considering he was a little less flexible than the swim team captain.

About ten minutes later, Sousuke didn't even need to see to know the Iwatobi team was here. He could smell Nanase like he was a walking glass of exposed perfume. He wasn't sure if anyone in Samezuka's swim club was an alpha, but he wasn't going to risk it.

Without informing Rin, he took large strides towards the exit leading outdoors . He heard the redhead call his name in surprise, not knowing what had suddenly set the guy off.

"Aa, Sou-chan!" Nagisa waved.

_Sou-chan?_

As much as the alpha wanted to be a little polite and greet, he had bigger issues to address. He brushed pass the small blond and went straight for the omega.

Haru didn't even have time to register the approaching person until his arm was grabbed forcefully. He gave a sharp 'oi' at Sousuke, but the latter paid no mind. Haru tried to pull his arm back, but it was futile against the vice grip.

Sousuke pulled him all the way until the other Iwatobi students were out of sight. He had only let the omega go when he deemed safe.  
  
"Have you been taking the suppressants at all?" Sousuke growled out.

Haru shot him a glare, looking offended. "Yes, I have."

  
"It's not doing jack," the alpha huffed out. "You might have taken it too late or something."

Haru averted his gaze. "They did say the effectiveness varies... I've only started yesterday as well."  
  
"Fuck..." Sousuke cursed under his breath. This goddamn stupid omega didn't even know how thin was the ice he tread on. It was taking a fair amount of effort for Sousuke to maintain his composure. He didn't know what could happen if another alpha has scented him in his current state.  
  
"Up the dose or eat it more often. Did you bring it?"  
  
Haru looked away, but there was a subtle nod.  
  
“Then take another dose before going in,” Sousuke said as he tried to calm down. Clearly, the omega was underestimating, or did not know the gravity of the situation he was in.  
  
"You'd better hope no one else in the swim team is an alpha."  
  
"Would it have mattered if there was?"  
  
"Of course it would!"  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because you're-" the bigger male caught his tongue before he could continue. The ocean blue eyes were staring at him, expecting a good reason.  
  
Because... what exactly was Nanase to him? Apart from being an omega, to which only his instincts wanted and accidentally marked. He told himself over and over that he disliked the freestyle swimmer as a person.  
  
"Forget it. Do what you want," Sousuke walked back to the indoor pool of Samezuka.

* * *

 

Haru hadn't even given himself a proper stretch when he dove into the pool. The Samezuka club members were pretty much used to the antics of Iwatobi's ace, except the first-years, and continued doing what they were doing.  
  
After giving Haru the ample time to waddle in the pool, Rin called for everyone to fall in, inclusive of the person whom Sousuke called a recluse.  
  
The plan of the day was a mini race between the third and second year swimmers in their respective styles. First years who wished to train in a certain stroke, were allowed to participate in the friendly match, starting off with the butterfly swimmers.  
  
Haru sulked on the bench as freestylers were queued in third, after breast stroke. Makoto was chatting to Kou about their future regimes, and that left Haru staring at the water rippling with every movement of the swimmers.  
  
At the other end of the pool, Sousuke clicked his tongue. He was sure that the omega's scent was stronger now. He wasn't sure how it worked entirely, but working up the body could make one's scent stronger, physiologically speaking. Alphas had more control over their scents as long as their emotions were in check. He was now mustering every single humane control he had not to go over and just bite the omega senseless. He shook the thought out of his head. In terms of control, Sousuke was sure he had more than most alphas due to his stronger blood.  
  
It was the freestylers' turn to start their match, and Sousuke counted seven participants; Haru and two Samezuka third years, three second years and one first year who seemed like a competitive type.  
  
Rin blasted the horn and all the swimmers dove into the water.  
  
To a few people's surprise, includinng Sousuke, the Iwatobi ace made first place. It was the first time he had witnessed Haru swim, and he could sort of understand why Rin was so taken in by this guy.  
  
If there was a word to describe the freestyle swimmer, it was _fluid_. Where Sousuke stood, he could see every smooth movement that contributed to the omega's speed.  
  
The slimmer, streamlined body of his cut through water and cleared the path easily for advancement. His kicks were consistent throughout and never wavered, unlike a few of the other swimmers who mistakenly put their all in the beginning, only to tire out on the return lap. And lastly, it was Haru's forward flip during the approach of the other end of the pool. It was stunning to see the precision of the turn. The way Haru had done it seemed so dangerous, yet the successful flip that landed his legs as bent as possible allowed him to use his full strength to propel forward.

Sousuke couldn't lie to himself this time; he was undeniably mesmerized by the Haru when he swam. 

But this fact had also made him jealous. Just the thought alone caused a pseudo-ache at his shoulder, and he resisted the urge to grab it in front of everyone present.

Haru's head emerged from the water and he took a deep gasp of air. He half expected Makoto to be there to pull him out the water, but he remembered that the backstroke swimmers were warming up for their next match.

Everyone was slowly exiting the water, paying no mind to him. The freestyle swimmer took the chance to remove his tinted goggles hindering his vision slightly.

That was when Haru froze, feeling a presence behind him. He wasn't even aware that someone had sneaked up. Haru couldn't even react when a sharp pain was registered at the back of his neck. Only his voice worked, and Haru suddenly yelped in pain.

There was another alpha in the swim team after all, but he hadn't noticed. The only logical reason he could think of was that the chlorine masked the scent of the alpha who had been keeping a low profile all the while.

Haru tried to struggle. He really did, but with the sudden fear of the unknown alpha, coupled with the fact that his body responded by submitting, caused the omega to remain passive and unmoving.

"NAGI!" Haru heard the owner of teal green eyes roaring out. The teeth against his neck was released when it was followed by a loud splash.

Haru reached up and shielded his face from the water splattering. By the time he recovered, Sousuke and the other alpha by the name of Nagi, the first-year who had just competed, were engaged in a fight.

Haru backed against the side of the pool, paralyzed with fear when the air was suddenly filled with the scents of the two alphas. It was thick, exhibiting both anger and danger. He watched with wide, ocean blue eyes as the two alphas started throwing punches at each other.

Rin was yelling at them angrily to stop as he and the other swimmers entered the pool with the intention of breaking up the fight.

"Don't butt in!" Sousuke barked out, his alpha command causing everyone to freeze, although they were unsure why. Haru experienced a bigger brunt of the command and shrank back meekly.

Haru's eyes had never once left the two alphas, having watched them throw punching blows at each other. The water in the pool didn't seem to have hindered the movement of the alphas, and they could still do a number on each other.

Using his size to his advantage, Sousuke tackled the younger swimmer against the side of the pool. Locking an arm behind the other alpha, Sousuke pressed his entire weight against the other and forced him to stay. Pushing away a mess of brown locks, Sousuke had a clear shot of Nagi's neck and didn't hesitate sinking his canines into it.

Everyone froze at the act, and Haru swallowed. The fight ended.

Sousuke held his position for a good minute, and Nagi was left panting. When Sousuke was sure that the other alpha had fully submitted without intention of continuing the fight did he release Nagi.

The winning alpha took an animalistic lick of his lips, tasting blood. He stared down at the person who lost, and wiped the rest of his mouth with the back of his hand. He chose the moment to glance up, eyes searching for Haru.

The omega had exited the water by then, and was seated on his heels with his back facing him. It seemed like Makoto had pulled the boy out, and was examining Haru's bite wound.

Sousuke narrowed his gaze, and exited the water swiftly. With large strides, he went over to where Iwatobi was crowded around their vice-captain. When they saw him approaching, he must have had a threatening look or something, because Makoto stood up and had actually thrown him a scowl.

Tachibana with a scowl; that was a first.

"Get out of the way, Tachibana," Sousuke growled out.

"Not if you're going to hurt Haru." The usually passive person held an arm out, proving his point. The message was clear: Sousuke had to get past the rival school's captain, first.

Sparks flew between teal and vivid green. Makoto was a beta, but he sized up against the alpha easily. His need to protect his best friend from further harm disallowed him to register the dangerous aura the alpha held, while the rest of the students were starting to fear for the worst.

If Makoto had been an alpha, Sousuke was sure he could resolve the issue by tackling Tachibana to the ground. But because he wasn't, Sousuke wouldn't resort to the same violence he had with the the other alpha, as tempting as it was.

"Makoto, it's okay," Haru's voiced sounded softly. With the help of Nagisa and Rei, he was back on his feet. "He won't hurt me..." At least, he hoped not. In the back of his head, he knew of Sousuke's intentions, which wasn't remotely close to the violence dealt against the other alpha.

Makoto looked over his shoulder first, before the person in front of him. His eyes never once left Sousuke as he stepped aside. Neither did his scowl.

Sousuke walked up to the omega whose eyes had never made contact with his. If there was anything Haru's look resembled, it was guilt. But for what exactly, Sousuke didn't know. It wasn't the omega's fault he got seized. It was just that Nagi had the balls to do so.

Haru started a little when a hand reached for the side of his neck. The touch was gentle. He took in Sousuke's scent that was now non-threatening due to his calmed emotions.

Sousuke didn't even care that he was standing before the entire Samezuka and Iwatobi team. Instincts screamed in his head to claim back what rightfully belonged to him. With his height, he leaned over Haru's shoulder, and right over where Nagi had bitten, the alpha's teeth replaced the bleeding mark.

"Sousuke!"

"Rin, don't!" Haru said sharply, holding out a hand to stop the redhead who was about to intercept. In his current state of mind, he couldn't be too sure if Yamazaki would hurt anyone who tried to stop him.

Sousuke bit down. The alpha was a lot gentler compared to Nagi , going to lengths of even licking the blood away. He seemed to have fully calmed down by then, and Haru's fluttered close in relief.

* * *

 

Iwatobi swimming club left earlier than planned. Rin got Momotarou to send Nagi to the school sick bay first. He didn't think putting the two people who had just fought in an enclosed room was a good idea. Besides, Sousuke came out of the fight with just some light bruises, and not a bleeding neck.

Rin isolated himself with his best friend in the locker room while having Nitori take charge of the rest of the meet.

"Sousuke, what the hell was that!? Why did you hit Nagi all of a sudden!?" Rin looked like he was about to explode from worry and anger. Sousuke could understand why, and knowing how Rin's temper management was like, he allowed himself to get chewed out first before replying. "What if you get kicked out of the club!? What if the school suspends you!?"

By now, Rin was worked up enough to have tears forming. Ever the crybaby.

"I don't want to lose you..." The swimming captain hiccuped, and Sousuke rubbed the back of his neck and gave a nasal sigh.

"Rin, don't worry. It'll work out." _He hoped._ From what he knew, if schools found out that they were Blood, as long as both alphas came to a mutual agreement neither of them would get expelled or anything. Of course, there must be a legitimate reason for fighting, and that would be an omega.

The back of two fists pounded his chest, snapping Sousuke out of his train of thoughts, and Rin tried hard to glare. The tears in his eyes were hindering the attempt, and for Sousuke, it turned out looking cuter.

"Sometimes, I really wonder which asshole did you pull out this much confidence from."

Sousuke merely shrugged with a weak smile.

A knock from the door caught both Samezuka swimmers' attention, and Ai peeked his head in timidly.

"Matsuoka-sempai! The school nurse wishes to see the both of you."

"Got it", Rin replied, rubbing the tears out of his eyes.

The two headed down to the room without exchanging a single word along the way. When they turned the corner that led to the nurse's office, a redhead was standing before the door.

"Sempai!!" Momotarou yelled and waved his hands. Rin groaned slightly at Momo's loud voice, but gave the hyperactive teen a hearty smile.

"Momo, you can head back first."

"Okay!!" The redhead skipped along back to the indoor pool.

"Matsuoka-kun, Yamazaki-kun," the school nurse, Endo, greeted the two when they entered. Nagi was also present, seated on the chair. The moment Sousuke had stepped into the room, the other alpha kept his head lowered.

"I'm really sorry!" Rin immediately bowed low. "As the captain, I should've stopped them when I could! I know it may be impossible, but please don't report this to the principal!" All the other three were taken aback by Rin's sudden outburst of apology. "I'll take responsibility, anything, so-”

"Matsuoka-kun, calm down. I'm not reporting this to anyone," Endo chuckled, a wide smile gracing his old features. "It's not something that you could've prevented anyway."

This time, Rin and Sousuke were puzzled.

Clearing his throat, Endo began: "Nothing will be held against Koshima-kun and Yamazaki-kun... on the agreement that both parties are now on neutral terms with each other."

"That's..." _Too easy_ , the words flashes through Rin's head. Something's not right. Had he missed something?

"I'm fine," Sousuke replied.

"Me too," the first year student nodded. Rin noticed that Nagi had a gauze patch right over where Sousuke had bitten. There was still a mild redness to it, indicating that it could still be bleeding, and he felt sorry for Nagi.

"Alright, now that you two are least likely to be fighting each other, you're free to go. Oh, unless Yamazaki-kun, you require any wounds checked out?"

“Not really.”

“No more fights, I hope?”

“As long as he knows his place.”

“Good to know then.”

Rin was staring between the school nurse and Sousuke suspiciously as the two engaged themselves in a small conversation. Behind, Nagi had already excused himself and left the room. Endo was mentioning about possibly applying cream the bruises, when Rin cut in, unable to contain his mind full of questions.

"Sosuke, what exactly is happening? People don't just suddenly fight with their teeth, and why were you biting Haru?" Rin stiffened a little when two sets of eyes shifted their focus on him.

"I'm guessing 'Haru' was the omega?" Endo asked, and the taller swimmer nodded.

"What's an omega? What's it got to do with Haru? Sousuke, say something!" The more he questioned, the more Rin got frustrated. And Sousuke knew he couldn't hide the truth any longer, unless he wanted Rin crying for hours. Or angry for days – he didn't know which could be worse.

In the end, Sousuke spilled everything: how he was an alpha, and Haru an omega. What Nagi had done was an outright challenge between two alphas, and he had won the fight fair and square.

It was too much for Rin to digest, and he raked his fingers through his long, red hair.

"Are you saying you fought Nagi because he had bitten Haru?"

Sousuke nodded. He doubted anyone was paying attention to Haru at all, seeing as most of the Samezuka members paid him no mind. But teal eyes followed the omega most of the time, if not as much as he could. He was momentarily distracted because well, he had to pay attention to other stuff once in a while. It was Haru's sharp yelp, coupled with the scent of another alpha that set him off. He didn't even need to know that Nagi had bitten Haru. It was the fact that another alpha was near his marked omega to cause him to switch into primal instincts.

Yes, his instincts, by far was the biggest of his problems.

"That's so weird..." Rin uttered under hus breath. Sousuke had heard it, and couldn't hell but feel a slight stab to his feelings. It wasn't as if he wanted to be an alpha. He'd be happier living as a normal beta, oblivious to such animalistic traits.

That way he wouldn't have to bother with Nanase... He'd rather concern himself with other people... like Rin.

"Now that a sort of pecking order has been established, I don't see much problem arising from the swim team, Matsuoka-kun. You can put your mind at ease."

"Oh...okay..." The redhead didn't quite believe that, but accepted the words nevertheless. The swimmers excused themselves from the nurse's office, and Rin pulled Sousuke around the corner where no one was.

"You're an alpha.” A nod. “And Haru's an omega.” Another nod. “And you two are together.”

“Not really, but you could say that...”

“Forever?”

“Perhaps.” Though at this point, he wasn't sure what the exact answer was.

“Are you hiding anything else from me?”

Sousuke stiffened up, but didn't let it show. He most definitely had an even bigger secret...  
  
“No,” he lied.

Rin chewed on his lip a little, hesitation evident before he presented his next question.

"Do you like Haru?"

"No."

Jaw of the sharp-teeth owner dropped. "Then why are you with him!?"

"It's instincts, Rin. I can't fight it. I've tried." _I've failed too many times over._

"But it's not fair... to you or Haru. You can't just... be forced to be with someone your whole life without loving them."

"That's just how it's going to be."

"And there's no way to avoid it?"

"... Nanase will have to leave." After all, omegas tend to be the losing ones in the hierarchy. It was easier to remove an omega from society than an alpha, frankly speaking.

“That's just stupid,” Rin spat in disbelief.

“I'm leaving the option to Nanase. If he can... make it through, we may not even end up bonding,” Sousuke offered the bit of information that may give a little hope.

“I can't believe this... I need to talk to Haru,” Rin shook his head and started walking.

Sousuke closed his eyes and dropped his head back, hitting the wall. His emotions were in turmoil. This was really getting out of hand, and there was no way out of it.

His left hand reached across his chest and grabbed his shoulder. Having resumed swimming again, his shoulder began acting up once more. With a slight squeeze, he wondered how long he could hide his biggest secret from Rin.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just to clarify, scents are also emotion dependent. So if they're calm, they don't tend to release their scent, and vice-versa, if they're worked up their scent will get stronger. 
> 
> I'm gonna... space out the rest of the chapters... I keep updating so quickly :'D
> 
> Did I mention that Sousuke's voice is sexgasm? _(:3 l L )


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Haru goes to find out Sousuke's feelings about them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I attempted at angst. I really did, but I failed.

* * *

The trip back to Haru's house was relatively quiet, save Nagisa's occasional chatter with Rei. Kou had gone home first, everyone else was now littered in Haru's living room, taking their spot at the kotatsu. Haru was also seated, staring down blankly.

He really didn't know where to start, or how to explain. He was tempted to just toss the paper Miyagawa gave him, but it wouldn't provide the whole story. Plus, he felt that he owed the team a proper explanation.

“Haru,” a gentle voice called and sapphire eyes glanced up at the person speaking. “If you want to talk about it another time...?” As ever, Makoto wasn't pushy with him.

If Haru could, he felt his guilt increasing by a notch. He'd always have Makoto by his side, and clearly he had been too spoilt by the other. It was all the more that Makoto... no, everyone should know.

Haru shook his head. “You all deserve know, as my friends...”

Everyone's eyes seemed to have sparkled for a fleeting second, touched by the usually passive person who hardly expressed himself.

“Yamazaki and I are... a little different. He's something called an 'alpha', and I'm the complete opposite, an 'omega'.”

“Is that some Yin-Yang relationship?” Nagisa said excitedly.

Haru couldn't blame Nagisa's simplicit thinking, but it could help with his explanation.

“Something like that. The other first-year, Nagi, was it? He was also an alpha. Thus, you could say that the two clashes because they're a similar type.”

The blond tapped the side of his fisted hand against an open palm, as if solving a mystery. “I see! And they were fighting for their Yang, who is Haru-chan!” He seemed thrilled by the idea, being a slight romantic sap. Haru couldn't quite share the same sentiments of the topic.

“That explains everything!” Rei piped up this time. Out of everyone present, Makoto seemed to be the most confused. “Haruka-sempai... My parents are doctors, and I'm roughly aware of the situation you may be in. If you would like me to...?" Rei questioned slowly.

Haru raised his eyes and blinked, surprised that Rei knew about the Blood. He gave a small nod. His underclassman might do a better job at speaking about this than he could, anyway.

"Rei-chan? What do you know?" Nagisa questioned, having been the one most curious since the incident at the pool.

The blue-haired teen pulled out a paper from his bag, together with a pen. Everyone, except Haru, leaned in close to see what was going to be written. Rei adjusted his glasses and cleared his throat, putting on a rather serious atmosphere.

"To further explain, Yamazaki-san is an alpha," Rei scribbled Sousuke's name in hiragana, and the word 'alpha' in katakana. "Haruka-senpai is an omega." He reflected the words accordingly. "Alphas and omegas are people of unusual traits, unlike any of us in this room. They retain a higher cognitive survival skills, and you can almost describe them as animalistic."

"Are you saying they're like wolves?" Makoto blinked.

"Hm... I suppose so. Alphas and omegas pair for life, so if there are any competition..."

"Haru?" The raven-haired teen stiffened. The voice belonged to Makoto's. "Are you and Yamazaki...?"

"...No..." Haru mustered the will to look up and meet Makoto in the eye. "We're not bonded."

"But that's dangerous, Haruka-sempai!" Rei blurted in sudden realisation. "If you do not bond, the situation may repeat itself!"

"Rei-chan, what do you mean?" Nagisa prompted.

The butterfly swimmer had to readjust his glasses as the last outburst of his shifted his visual accessory. He aligned it perfectly, just the way he preferred when he wanted to sat something of great importance.

"Alike any primal creature, omegas will go into heat cycles. During which, they can be marked by almost any alpha. Should two alphas mark a single omega, they will inevitably fight-"

"Sou-chan and Nagi-kun!"

"Yes. But now that there was a clear winner between them, Haruka-sempai... are you not going to bond with Yamazaki-san? If your heat persists, more fights will take place if you were to meet other alphas."

Haru had to frown at the blue-haired male's persistence in trying to get him and Yamazaki together. It resembled some casual dating game, with him being one of the players. "Are you saying that I should bond with Yamazaki?"

Rei's face was washed over with puzzlement. "Is he not a good person? He seems respectable."

  
_Respectable... huh..._ Indeed, compared to the other alphas he had encountered within the past few days, Sousuke seemed to be least of an asshole. Though, Haru is still mildly grudging over the fact that the alpha was being hostile to him for an unknown reason in the beginning. While that treatment seemed to have lessened every time they met, it was still there, nevertheless.

“He... doesn't like me very much.” The statement had many eyebrows raising.

It was a fact – they had no genuine feelings for other, except for Yamazaki's odd grudge against him.

Haru wasn't paying attention, but everyone was throwing worried glances each other. The atmosphere was rather depressing all of a sudden, and Makoto mustered the act of breaking the ice.

“Haru, no matter what, we're here for you, okay?” Makoto placed a hand on Haru's shoulder, and gave his trademark gentle smile.

Nagisa planted himself a few inches from the omega's face, cheeks puffed and fists clenched with confidence. “That's right, Haru-chan! If anyone's mean to you, let us know! We'll beat them up!”

“Nagisa! That's just going to bring more trouble!” Rei desperately tried to correct the blond's statement.

Haru couldn't help but smile a little, and nodded.

* * *

 

That night, Haru was about to give in to an early sleep when his phone started ringing. He had a thought about ignoring it, but when he saw who had decided to give him a call, he couldn't. Sitting up, he pushed the button to answer.

" _HARU_!" Rin's voice was so loud that the entire room was filled with the redhead's voice.

"Rin... are you crying?"

" _No I'm not, you asshole. I just have my eyes shoved under a running tap_ ," came the blatant sarcasm. There was a slight tug at the corner of Haru's lips. “ _Honestly, are there any feelings between the two of you?_ ”

 _This_ conversation again. Having to deal with it with the Iwatobi guys earlier, he was quite tired of it by now.

“Ask him _._ ” _He's the one with the issue with me._

“ _I did. He said... he didn't_.” Haru felt his chest hurt a little, despite it being a truth he had come to accept ages ago. “ _But that's what I don't get. Is that really all there is between the two of you? 'Instincts'? Because that's all that idiot seemed to be blaming it on._ ”

“He's not wrong.”

“ _But that's_ _ **exactly**_ _where I think he is! Sousuke's not the person who uses his butt cheeks to think. Sure, he acts a little cold sometimes, but he's doesn't do things out of pity. Or remorse. He protected you, Haru. Why would you protect someone you if you really disliked them?_ ”

“Maybe he was bored?”

The redhead gave and exasperated sigh of disbelief. “ _Your jokes are horrible. Please don't ever attempt it. Look, all I know is that Sousuke's just being rather... shy, for the lack of better term. I'm sure the dolt doesn't mean what he say. He's just not sure of himself, or something's holding him back._ ”

Haru remained silent this time, digesting the words Rin had just said. It was a short moment later before Rin spoke again.

“ _Talk to him? As Haru. Not as an omega-whatever-you-call-it_. _At least... sort both of your feelings out. I know he doesn't hate you. Not as much as he thinks he does._ ”

“...I'll try.”

“ _Let me know, okay? No more secrets, the both of you. And don't lie to me either, or I'll chew your arm off_.”

Haru gave a tiny smile and ended the call. Placing the phone aside, he flopped back onto his bed and stared at the ceiling.

He really didn't deserve such friends. They were always supporting him. And for their sakes, he will settle it with Yamazaki once and for all.

* * *

 

Teal eyes narrowed.

“Why are you here?”

“I should talk to you... was what Rin said.”

“...”

Sousuke eyed the omega standing right before him at the hall of Samezuka's dormitory. Luckily, Rin wasn't around having gone out with Ai and Momotarou, or he might've thrown a fit or something knowing Haru came down all the way to their school.

The alpha sighed through his nose, and rubbed the back of his neck, bored. There wasn't much to talk about, and he really didn't know what Nanase was going to say. To be exact, he knew, but denied the thoughts in his head.

"Let's talk elsewhere," Haru said. His eyes flickered to the other Samezuka dorm live-ins. While they weren't concerned between the two, the topic Haru wanted to speak was as rather... confidential.

"Outside?" Sousuke suggested, and the omega nodded. He led the way out, hands shoved into his pockets.

They walked for a good few minutes, with Sousuke leading. Haru was a little taken aback that they were leaving the school grounds. However, he said nothing.

"Just in case we meet Rin."

 _Oh._ It was obvious enough that Sousuke didn't want to get seen talking to Haru by the redhead.

The sky was turning grey, reflective of the current atmosphere between them. It seemed like it was about to rain. They finally stopped at a nearby park and Sousuke flopped down on an empty bench. He waited for Haru to sit first before enquiring what the omega wanted to speak to him about.

"I don't want to leave here.”

“And how does that concern me?”

“You're the only one-!” Haru almost snapped, because he knew Sousuke was aware of the obvious, but chose to pretend not to. He caught himself, and clamped his mouth. In his head, he tried to find the correct words to describe what exactly he needed out of the alpha. “... Who can help.”

“So you're just looking for some accomplice? Sorry, I'm not interested in doing a task out of pity,” Sousuke waved a hand, and peered away when a mother with her young child walked past them. The lady ushered her child to pick up the pace, commenting about the weather.

It began to drizzle as expected, but neither students seem bent on giving in to the water falling from the sky.

Haru kept silent as he stared at the spots on the ground, welcoming the rainfall. Sousuke had never let his side-glancing eyes leave the features of the omega, whose blue eyes reflected a form of sorrow. The alpha wanted to do something about it, because it was starting to affect him as well.

Sousuke was suddenly aware that the omega's heat wasn't acting up as much, which meant that the heat suppressants were effective. If that was the case, there wouldn't be a need for them to bond, right?

“Look, your heat suppressants seem to be working, so if you don't want to leave – and I'm sure you don't want to be bonded either-, just continue what you're doing and you'll probably be fine.”

“Do you really hate me that much?” Haru asked all of a sudden.

 _Spot on_ , was what Sousuke would have said in the beginning, but he couldn't quite say those words anymore. Things have changed, to his disappointment, all because Nanase turned out to be an omega.

“Rin was the one who told me to talk to you. He's worried about you and-”

The alpha growled. Mentioning the redhead now, especially with the conversation they had the day before, Sousuke could feel his blood start to boil. “Leave Rin out of this.”

But Haru didn't relent. “Before, you told me before to stay out of Rin's way. Are you... Do you like Rin? Is the reason why you hate me? Because Rin's close-”

“It's not like that!” Sousuke snapped sharply. Haru was taken aback by the sudden threatening atmosphere and scent of the alpha.

The next thing either of them knew, Sousuke stood before Haru, pulling the smaller person upwards with a fist in the front of his shirt. He brought their faces close as he seethed:

"That's right I hate you, Nanase, because you have everything I don't. You've got your friends. You've got Rin. And above all, you've the ability to swim freely, but you abuse it. You would never come to understand how much I'd rather be in your place right now."

His words rattled off on their own accord, even if they weren't the full truth. Over the time he had come to know Nanase, he found that he couldn't truly hate him. Jealous, yes. He knew he was just taking out on the omega when it wasn't his fault. But the frustration that had built up over the days... the years... he had to let it out. The physical pain was nothing compared to the emotional pain he had to deal with the moment he found out that his shoulder was wrecked.

The falling rain made the air musky, and even though the heat suppressants did a good job, it wasn't near effective enough for the proximity between them.

Sousuke had to slow his breathing rate in order not to keep smelling the omega's heat that had already riled his emotions. Roughly, he shoved Haru back, but his hand remained fisting the garment.

"I know you hate me as well, so let's just forget this conversation even happened."

Sousuke released Haru and stomped off.

Sapphire eyes watched as the alpha's silhouette disappear into the distance. His eyes dropped to the ground, staring at how the heavy raindrops hit the large puddle forming.

"... That's not true..." Haru uttered, but only the witness he had was the rain which drowned out his voice.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> please comment it makes me happy when people enjoy the stuff I write >^


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things get resolved between the alpha and omega....

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry if everything seems so rushed or characs sound OOC...

* * *

“Why are we going Samezuka again?” Nagisa yawned as he sauntered into the Samezuka school . “It's so early, and it's a saturday,” he whined.

“Because Samezuka's going against the next prefecture's high school,” Kou walking ahead gave a slight twitch of guilt.

“We can observe and learn from the matches today,” Makoto smiled. He glanced to his right where the quietest member of the group was, sauntering by his side. “Haru, are you feeling okay? You don't have to go if you don't want to. It's not like it's official club activity after all.”

The raven-haired teen shook his head. He wanted... no, the correct term was _needed_ to find Sousuke. Things were left hanging the last they had met, and his heart couldn't settle down. The discomfort had only grown the past few days. At the same time, though, he was honestly afraid of the alpha was still insistent on rejecting him. Plus, it was rather late of Makoto to ask him this, since they were already welcoming themselves the other school's  gates. 

Haru has spent an ample amount of time thinking about the situation when he was in. He couldn't even bother trying to find someone to blame for his current state. In fact, he'll just do what he did best; adapt. He'll try to be water for once, taking shape of whatever contained it. Nothing would stop him; he'll be free.

  
A loud horn was being sounded in the distance, and Nagisa was full of energy all of a sudden.

“Guys, come on! It's started!” Nagisa broke into a run. Everyone else did too, not wanting to miss watching the race. Except for one.

“Haru-chan! Hurry!” Makoto urged at the mid-stairway of Samezuka's indoor pool. The rest had already made their way up to the second floor gallery overlooking the pool, judging by the absence of footsteps in the stairway.

Breathing a sigh, Haru did as he was told, and he double-stepped the stairs to catch up to his best friend. Nagia, Kou and Rei were already excitedly cheering for Ai, who was probably swimming. Haru cleared the distance between himself and the railing, taking casual paced strides. He took a brief glance down at the pool where the race was in progress.

Only mildly interested, his eyes inevitably searched for a particular individual. Said person had his eyes cast on the ongoing race as he did warm-ups.

Sousuke was giving his arm a final stretch, when his eyes happened to avert to the corner of his vision. He looked up in surprised, eyes widened in shock when met with familiar ocean blue. He hadn't expected Iwatobi to make an appearance, and it seemed like Rin wasn't unaware of their presence either. He guessed the redhead's younger sister must've pulled some strings, and thus their audience.

He forced his eyes away from the other. Unfortunately, the image of Nanase remained etched in his recent memory, and a small discomfort grew when he could remember the omega's features: he seemed to be lacking sleep, and if possible, Haru seemed to look even skinnier in sneakers, casual jeans and a thick hoodie. A background voice started to nag in his head, blaming him for the state that Nanase was in.

Sousuke knew that it was the fact, though. It was his fault that was making this relationship between them complicated. His hesitance and indecisiveness was the cause of the friction. Honestly, he wasn't deserving of this, to be with an omega. Much less one like Nanase.

Nevertheless, he made a mental note to avoid Nanase at all costs. The last time they had separated, it was definitely not on peaceful terms. He still felt a tad guilty for taking it out on the omega the last time, but his pride wouldn't allow him to make the first move in apologising. He was too embarrassed to.

“Sousuke, you're up next,” Rin called out. “Go get 'em.”  
  
The alpha nodded, rotating his mildly sore shoulder. He woud've taken the painkillers in the morning, but he hadn't got the time to drop by at the pharmacy to buy more with their training for the competition against the other school. Sneaking out wasn't easy with Rin as his roommate too. Perhaps, he could at least finish today's club meet, and drop by at the pharmacy later to get more painkillers.

As he took his place, Sousuke gritted his teeth when his shoulder gave a sudden twang of pain. It was still manageable, and he took a deep breath. Just one race, and he could deal with the repercussion later. It was what he told himself, but the biggest blow hit when he abruptly threw his arm forward during the starting plunge.

Haru, whose eyes never once left Sousuke, jerked forward when he noticed a change in the butterfly swimmer. It was extremely subtle, but he had caught it. Something had happened during the start of the match, but the alpha was still swimming as if nothing was amiss.

Everyone in the indoor pool was cheering for their teams respectively, and Iwatobi perched on the second floor gallery watched in excitement, except for one. Haru's hand was gripped on the railing as nervousness crept into his system. He wasn't sure why, but he could tell something was very wrong with Sousuke even though he kept up well with the other swimmers.

At the end of the race, Sousuke came in fourth place of the eight competitors, which was a pretty okay. Haru watched on as Sousuke exited the water, and Rin took over his spot with a smile on his face. They seemed to converse for a short while, and Rin giving the other a friendly tap with a fist against the other's arm.

Haru observed the interaction with a stiffened posture. From the moment Sousuke had left the water, he could scent the alpha from all the way up where he was. Usually, Sousuke's scent would be calming, maybe a little scary, but this time it was threatening. But it wasn't out of anger, but fear instead.

Haru's eyes never left the lumbering figure who seemed to have excused himself from Rin. With large, quick strides, Sousuke slipped out the door that led to the corridors, most likely heading to the locker rooms.

The omega knew that something was very, very wrong, and his legs moved.

"Makoto, I'll be back later," Haru didn't give a proper explanation. He simply took off with his best friend left flabbergasted, and the rest oblivious as they were cheering Rin on.

Green eyes watched as the freestyle swimmer's silhouette disappeared around a corner, and his lips thinned from starting to worry.

For Haru, it wasn't hard to trace the alpha as his scent lingered in the corridors. It was the same as before; dangerous, threatening, and his mind was screaming at him to leave immediately for his own safety.

The omega helped himself into the Samezuka locker rooms, and he could hear the sound of water splattering in the common shower area. Gritting his teeth, he slowly headed towards the place he knew the alpha was.

"Don't come here!" The alpha snapped, and Haru's foot stopped mid-stride. Sousuke probably smelt his approach, and didn't want the omega anywhere near him. It was then Haru realised that Sousuke resembled a wounded animal defending itself in desperation.

Irregardless of the stance the alpha was trying to put up, Haru persisted in his steps that led him into the shower. When he peered in, Sousuke was seated under a shower head that was switched on to full blast, pooling the floor with immense quantity of water.

"Did you come here to have a laugh?" Sousuke chuckled bitterly, a smile not matching his tone.

Haru merely stared, eyes never once leaving the seated figure. Sousuke eventually avoided looking at him entirely, turning to grimace at the floor as his hand clutched his shoulder tightly in hopes that the pain alleviates.

A pair of white sneakers came into Sousuke's line of sight, and he looked up in mild horror as the omega stood right before him.

The water cascade didn't matter to Haru; in fact, he welcomed it. While the water was colder than he liked, his body temperature made up for it. Instantly, his clothing was drenched.

It said a lot when something else besides water could have his attention.

"You idiot!" Sousuke barked and struggled to switch off the running shower. His first move was to naturally use his dominant arm, but failed miserably when he couldn't even actively lift his arm a few inches up from where it laid.

Haru took the liberty of doing the intended task, and he knelt next to Sousuke on his right.

The angry redness of Sousuke's shoulder was now highly obvious without the hand hiding it. The skin seemed to only turn redder, and looked no where near fading.

"How... could you tell." Blue eyes shifted to meet unsure teal.

"You scent was off. Before the match, it was confident, strong. But once the match was done and you stepped out... it changed entirely. It became scary, there was fear underneath it."

If Haru wanted to describe it further, it would have reflected a dog growling at the corner of a room, curled and defensive. But everyone present at the Samezuka pool were unaware. Only Haru, and perhaps Nagi, were able to tell the difference.

 _Gee_ , Sousuke wondered when Nanase became detective-observant.

A warm hand touched his shoulder, and Sousuke cringed. His body temperature had already adjusted to the surrounding coldness, making the omega's hand feel like hot iron against his skin.

  
Haru said nothing, merely affixed on the wound. Now he could understand why Sousuke had said those things to him. It made sense to why the alpha had been angry at his attitude all these while. His relationship with Rin was probably just half of the reason why Sousuke was so hostile towards him. Haru knew he would be extremely angry as well if he were in Sousuke's shoes right now, when your greatest joy has now become your biggest bane.

Sousuke's gaze softened as he continued watching at Haru eye his recurrent injury. Honestly, he expected some sort of retort to come from the omega. However, the omega didn't seem interested in doing anything of that. He simply... stared.

"Sorry... about yesterday,” Sousuke finally spoke after a long moment of silence between. “I don't really hate you... The correct term would've been 'jealous." He gave a forced laugh before it trailed off.

His left hand reached up tightened around his shoulder, wishing he could simply tear away the injury that was causing all of his problems. "Just because of this goddamn shoulder, I'm just going to pull Rin down. I'm going to pull everyone dow-"

_Bap!_

Sousuke blinked when he felt his cheeks heating up from pain. His face was forcefully turned by the hands that cupped his face, and teal eyes were forced to meet ocean blue that were situated right before him, frowning.

"Is that what you've been thinking yourself to be? A burden?" Haru never let Sousuke's face go, making their eyes to remain on each other's. "Where was the Yamazaki I knew of the first day? The one who had firmly threatened me not to go near Rin?"

By the time Haru was done speaking, his fingers were mildly trembling against Sousuke's skin.

"You wanted to swim with Rin, don't you? Then let's go to the doctor and get this fixed," Haru suggested, but was startled when Sousuke grabbed his arm, stopping him.

"No. It'll fine if I just eat the painkillers."

"This isn't going to get any better with just that."

"Then leave me alone!"

"I can't possibly do that!" The omega snapped angrily, catching Sousuke by surprise. "It's not you to be like this."

Haru's eyes closed in silent contemplation, before opening again.

"This isn't you, Yamazaki," Haru repeated.

When Sousuke heard the line, an awkward chuckle escaped his lips. It was such irony that someone had to tell him who he wasn't. Thinking back, he was sure he wasn't as weak as this, hiding in the showers just because of a single shoulder ache.

"I guess you're right about that... I was so caught up in trying to fix things, but instead it only messed up even more," Sousuke uttered, glancing to his swollen shoulder. He reached up and clasped it once more, feeling the pain intensify. "Now it's really over, isn't it?"

A smaller, paler hand was being placed on top of Sousuke's hand. The heat coming from Haru's hand was oddly comforting this time round, along with the gesture.

"If you give up, you'll never be free," Haru's eyes glinted, and it caused to alpha to be mesmerized for a second. "Don't be scared."

 _Scared_.  
  
Ah, that was probably the word that Sousuke had been living with all the while.

"That's right... I'm afraid of being rejected. I was so desperate in trying to fit myself somewhere-"

"I won't," Haru interrupted. "I won't reject you.”  
  
Sousuke wasn't sure he heard that right, much less understand as stared in disbelief. Haru's cheeks were slightly reddened, but he remained focused on the confession he wished to make.  
  
“I've decided that no one but you can be my alpha."

Said alpha was at a loss for words. He had been trying so hard to deter this fool from being with him, and now Haru wanted them to be together?

"Why would you want someone like me, who's broken, to be your mate?"

The omega shook his head right away, refuting the statement. "You're not broken. You're just hurt." Haru stood up and held a hand out. "Let's go, Yamazaki Sousuke. You'll be free."

Sousuke could only stare with wide eyes at the gesture. Nanase remained unmoving, bent on ensuring that he was moving.

At first, Sousuke thought that Haru was out of his mind. Coupled with the fact that everything was just so sudden, he honestly took a long moment to digest the situation.

Was Nanase really serious about this? Accepting him for who he was... how he was? Could he really see himself saved?

Something in Sousuke simply gave in, as if there wasn't a point in fighting anymore. But it wasn't the sort that made him upset. He resigned himself to the fate that this omega was just too pushy, yet he couldn't quite bring himself to actually hate it.

Sousuke couldn't help but let a small smile tug the corners of his lips.

"Yea," he finally replied and took the hand.

  
The two exited the shower area into the locker room, and that was when Sousuke scrunched his nose.

“You... didn't bring your suppressants?”

“I didn't think I would go into the water,” Haru shrugged. “Or under, to be exact.”

Sousuke clicked his tongue. Haru's scent was definitely muskier than before, but it wasn't intolerable. It did make his senses tingle, informing him that an omega in heat was near, but he could keep the animalistic side of him in control. In a way, he was glad the pain was distracting enough, and he made a quick detour to his locker. After painfully decking a shirt on, he tossed his Samezuka jacket to the omega.

“Wear that.”

Haru adhered without a word. Thankfully, it was only his hoodie that got wet due to its mild water-proof properties, and swapping for a dry jacket was definitely a lot more comfortable. It was thick with Sousuke's scent, however, and he swallowed discreetly. Hopefully, it could keep his omega side down for convenience, though it still made him turn warmer. He did have to roll the sleeves once, though, because the jacket was a little big on him.

Just as the two exited the locker room, a loud voice caused the sneaking duo to be startled:

“Yamazaki-sempai!!”

"Momo," Sousuke said with a surprised tone at first, before repeating the name a little more seriously.

“Eh, are you going somewhere?”

“I'm bringing Yamazaki to the doctor because he hurt his shoulder,” Haru replied instantly, to Sousuke's dismay. He could have really skipped on saying where they were going, and more importantly, the reason for it.

Quickly, Sousuke interjected: "Don't tell Rin or anyone about this."

"Even Makoto," Haru added after. This, Sousuke was surprised by.

"Ehhh... Oh, okay then... I'll try to keep it a secret for as long as I can. I kinda let things slip easily," the first-year admitted sheepishly. "Then, take care, Yamazaki-sempai! Nanase-sempai, I leave Yamazaki-sempai in your hands!" He saluted as Sousuke gave him a jab in the ribs.

"Scat."

And Momotarou stuck his tongue out before skipping away. Before he he made a turn, he witnessed Haru grabbing Sousuke by the wrist and leading the way out of sight. He gave a wide smile to himself and whistled his way back to the pool, adhering to the promise of 'having not seen anything'.

* * *

 

Back at the poolside, Samezuka has completed their friendly match with the rival school, and everyone was packing up. Rin was surprised to find a certain Iwatobi student running in his direction once he officially dismissed the club.

“Makoto!”

"Rin! Have you seen Haru?" Makoto panted.

"Huh? No. I didn't even know you guys were here to watch," Rin replied.

"He left halfway through the match. But that was an hour ago and we've been trying to contact and find him since."

A silver hair teen approached the two older ones engaged in conversation and added: "Yamazaki-sempai isn't here either," Ai shook his head.

"Ooh. If you're talking about Yamazaki-sempai, he left the campus with Nanase-sempai!" Momotarou piped up and spoke proudly, as he knew something the rest didn't.

Rin didn't know whether to be shocked or frustrated at the redhead's silence of the information. "Momo! Explain yourself! And why didn't you say anything earlier!?"

"Eehh. That's 'cuz they told me to keep it a secret. Yamazaki-sempai hurt his shoulder and Nanase-sempai said he was going taking Yamazaki-sempai to the doctor... Oomph!" Momotarou covered his mouth. "Oh no, I wasn't supposed to say..."

"Sousuke in pain? And what doctor? If he was hurt, why didn't he say anything!?" Rin exploded in anger and worry. “And why didn't you go with them or something?”

"Well, Nanase-sempai had Yamazaki-sempai's hand in his so umm..." Momotarou scratched his cheek, hoping everyone got that he didn't want to intrude.

Haru _took_ Sousuke's hand? The words themselves caused everyone's mind to start wandering.

"So at least we know they're together at the moment," Makoto breathed a sigh of relief. Rin could see the deepening frown on the other's forehead out of worry.

The redhead looked over at the taller swimmer, a scowl gracing his features. "Just keep trying to call Haru, Makoto. I'll try Sousuke's cell, too."

"Got it."'

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you everyone for being patient with me thus farrrrrr. We are coming to the end of TMIL soon!!!  
> I really thank everyone for the support and encouragement of the stories. I really hope you enjoy my version of omegaverse, and I hope it doesn't disappoint. While I extremely love the usual aggressive alpha/lusty-heat omega, I like to do things different from the norm too! 
> 
> Nevertheless, I please leave a kudos <3 or a comment. I take everyone's messages to heart and it's really what drives me to write!!!


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .... is that what you thought?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm such a drama queen.

* * *

The walk back from the doctors was silent, up until Haru's phone rang for the upteenth time. He had been consistently receiving calls once in a while during the visit to the doctor. He did send a single text to Makoto saying: 'I'm fine. Yamazaki's arm's hurt. We're going to the doctor's. Talk later', to at least show that he was alive, but hotheaded Rin didn't seem so forgiving.

Haru calculated this to be the seventh call, minus the first five Makoto gave him (that he genuinely did not realise). Sousuke would've added on the call quota, if it weren't for the fact that he had left his cell in the locker room.

"Rin?" Sousuke spoke for the first time after leaving the doctor's.

Haru glanced over at the alpha. From the corner of his eyes, he could see Sousuke's dark blue shoulder brace. The alpha had refused using it from the beginning, saying that it would get in the way. However, the doctor insisted, and all it took was Haru's disapproving face for him to give in.

Up until then, Sousuke wondered why in the world did he even choose to agree. Maybe because under the so-called disapproving gaze, there was an underlying sense of worry. Even Haru's scent wavered, and it didn't sit well with the alpha. In the end, he gave in for the second time of the day.

Haru nodded slightly, and decided to finally answer the call.

The owner of the phone held it at arm's length after pressing the receive button. Sousuke winced at the extremely loud shout blasting through the receiver, rivaling the volume if the phone was on loud speaker. Rin's words were incomprehensible through the muffled shout, and Haru only made his presence known when the voice toned down.

He gave vague responses like 'mm', and ended the call with a single 'Got it'. Sousuke raised a brow in question of what the verdict of the call was.

"They're going to my place."

"You'd better be off then."

"They're waiting for you."

Sousuke clicked his tongue.

"You can't hide it from Rin forever."

"I know that," the bigger guy huffed out, exasperated. "But... I'm not sure I'm ready to let Rin know."

"He won't hate you," Haru mumbled.

"How would you know?"

"Because if it was Makoto, I wouldn't." Sapphire eyes stared down at the ground. "I can't."

Sousuke let out a nasal sigh. He often questioned the relationship between Tachibana and Nanase.

Okay, he was _not_ getting jealous.

Sousuke froze when he caught a whiff of something familiar. Or more specifically, someone. His sharp alpha nose scrunched, and a scowl crept to his features. Haru noticed a change in the alpha's scent and looked over.

"Nanase, go ahead without me."

"?"

"Now!" The alpha barked dangerously, causing Haru to jump. The freestyle swimmer was lost, wondering why Sousuke was worked up all of a sudden.

That was when he, too, could smell the scent he related to cinnamon. But it was too late to flee without being seen.

Nosy turned at the corner of the shops houses, exiting a small street. The look on his face showed that he was expectant of the omega and rival alpha, and grinned in their direction.

"Someone's got a busted arm," a taunting whistle came, as cigarette smoke blew out. 

Sousuke gritted his teeth. In his head, he kept repeating that it was okay; as long as Haru didn't get marked, they weren't going to engage in a fight. That was an unspoken Blood rule.

"Still not bonded? I would've thought by now you'd be, given the... dangerous circumstances," Nosy took a sniff, and his face gave a brief look of analyzing. "Or did you think depending on the suppressants would work?"

"That's not your concern," Haru said with a scowl on his face.

"Fiesty as ever, Blue." The nickname given without permission made the omega glare this time.

"Nanase, go. If he doesn't mark you, there won't be a fight", Sousuke whispered.

Haru glanced up and teal eyes were looking at him with surprising gentleness. It made him widen his eyes a little, but he heeded the words. Subtly, he nodded, and took a step back first, eyes on the rogue alpha.

Nosy could instantly see the retreat of the omega and he pouted.

"Going already?"

Sousuke took a step forward diagonally, his large form cutting Haru out of the rogue's line of sight.

When Haru saw no direct advancement, he risked showing his back as he broke into a small run.

The quick and light footsteps were music to Sousuke's ears, and he relaxed. He kept his eyes fixed on Nosy, ensuring that he didn't move a step until Haru was out of scent-range.

But that was when he realised something was amiss. Nosy was simply dawdling around, looking about at his feet, then the sky. As if he was just stalling-

The sound of a familiar, angered cry mixed with pain tugged his heart and Sousuke broke into a sprint, using his nose to track down the omega by scent.

"Nanase!" He passed a clearing and to his left, two figures were situated against the building's wall.

He registered the sight of Haru in midst of a deadlock with another rogue alpha. The swimmer had a hand trying to push at the chest of the bigger individual, but he couldn't fight the strength as his wrist was clamped between the teeth of Piercings'.

Immediately, Sousuke saw red and his alpha blood boiled in fury. Every nerve his body jumpstarted with anger and he went straight for the alpha who issued the challenge.

Piercings saw his approach and let the omega go, shoving him aside in the process. Haru's grunted as his back hit the wall, with Piercings darting past him to meet Sousuke halfway.

It was a fight scene all over again like the one at the pool. Both alphas were lunging for each other's neck to pin down each other, and in midst of that punches and kicks were thrown. Even with Sousuke's arm in a sling, it didn't hinder his movement. He could still dodge the punches Piercings unleashed on him, and return his own although with equal miss succession. His anger fueled his senses, and he had been completely ignorant of the pains coming from his shoulder.

Haru was frozen in his spot at the alphas's scent reminded him of rabid wolves craving for enemy blood. It caused his knees to shake where he stood. Initially, had thought that Sousuke's fight with Nagi was bad, but he had forgotten that chlorine in the water dampened his sense of smell. Now that there was none of that, he was absorbing the full brunt of raging alphas, and it caused him to be rooted to the spot paralyzed from the pheromones and sounds of their fight.

Sousuke managed to land a good hit square in the other alpha's jaw when the other made a mistake. Using the disorientation to his advantage, he slammed the large hand of his against the side of Piercing's head and the blow was enough to send him sprawling to the floor.

Piercings grunted, trying to recover when he registered a hand aiming for his throat.

"Oi, oi. Where do you think you're looking!?" Nosy's voice laughed from behind and Sousuke heard the omega yelling his name in apprehension. He barely dodged a punch directed his way, spinning on his heel. He landed with his back pressed against the side of the building. Haru was standing further away, watching with a concerned gaze.

Sousuke's breath hitched when the split moment's interruption had his mind registering the pain flaring at his shoulder. It stung sharply, as if a thousand needles were being stabbed simultaneously into his joint. It took all the will in his mind to not grab the shoulder as the pain only intensified with every movement. Where he stood, he panted, beads of sweat forming as he tried to wait for the pain to fade. Belatedly, he registered being flanked by the two other approaching alphas.

Mentally, Sousuke cursed. He had totally forgotten than Nosy and Piercings were considered a pair of alphas working towards a common goal. The largest alpha gritted his teeth as his face contorted with the pain that hadn't decided to ease up. In fact, it was only worsening. At this rate-

Sousuke's breathing ceased for a good few seconds when a fist landed right in his middle, right under his sling. Unable to withstand the cascade of the pain, Sousuke sank onto his knees. However, he was careful to keep his head up, disallowing all access to be seized.

But that gave the standing alphas an extra leverage, and Nosy had his fingers thread through his cropped hair without relent. A punch was delivered across his face, and Sousuke could taste blood where his teeth damaged the inside of his cheek.

"Man, if we knew you were this weak we should've just challenged you at the start," Nosy commented, sounding bored. “Got to admit though, all these effort was a lot lesser than I had expected to get your omega,” came a taunting sneer.

The words made Sousuke narrow his gaze and deliver an unexpected punch to Nosy's gut, seeing as it was presented right before him. Sousuke smirked in satisfaction as the rogue alpha let go of his hair and coughed in pain, reeling back in pain.

Piercings took charge this time and kicked Sousuke's right arm. The latter gave a pained cry, unable to hold back this time. He grasped his shoulder, the blow causing immense pain to coarse through his entire limb.

"Give?”

Sousuke gritted his teeth. "Never," and another fist slammed against his temple, snapping his head to the side. That one was delivered at gun point, and Sousuke's vision swam. If his shoulder wasn't giving him a problem, he probably could've taken on these two easy as pie. But with his dominant arm useless, and the fact that he couldn't do as much with his left, Sousuke braced himself for further onslaught from the two other alphas whose clear intention was to beat him into submission.

Suddenly, Piercings was shoved out of Sousuke's line of sight. The older alpha tumbled to the ground and stared up in disbelief. Haru had taken over his place, standing with his eyes narrowed at the rogue alphas.  
  
“Why you... it's not your place to cut in!” Piercings barked, picking himself up onto his feet angrily.

The omega mentally fought the part of his brain that was screaming at him for partaking in a fight he had no business with. Subconsciously, he knew it was for the safety of being an omega - to cower at a corner and wait for a victor to stake his claim. It hadn't helped that the scent in the alphas' rage caused him to be paralyzed at the start, rendering him useless as he watched Sousuke get hurt.

It wasn't when the rogues ganged up on the lone alpha that had him snap out of his frozen trance and blood boiling up in anger. It had been what the Nosy said.

Yamazaki was _not_ weak.

He knew the true strength in the swimmer in which these two alphas didn't have. Sousuke had spent the years of his life fighting his own battle, and these two seemed to be the type who had everything handed fed to them with a silver spoon.

Also, Sousuke would have never resorted to fighting in such lowly manner that took advantage of another's weakness, and moreover, he wouldn't treat the omega like an object. Yes, Sousuke in the beginning had been hostile, but Sousuke still saw him as a person - for Haru as Haru.

  
If there was anything Haru absolutely hated the most, it was being treated as a possession to be fought over. He was a living, breathing human capable of his own decisions, and no goddamn primitive, mindless bloodline of his was going to stop him otherwise. He was free - free to do what he wanted, free to act on his own accord, and no way in hell was he going to let himself be bound and caged by his own limitations or others'.

“And who said so,” Haru snapped. It was the first time Sousuke ever heard the usually silent person raise his voice.

The two older students were taken aback by the sudden hostility emitting from the usually passive-in-nature omega. The scent from the individual they nicknamed 'Blue' was suddenly spiking their senses with fear, and they took a step back, unsure of what was going to happen.

“No one said an omega can't fight an alpha. It was just always deemed that way because we're seen as smaller... _weaker -_ that we're inferior because that's what the hierarchy depicts so.” Haru shifted, and lowered his form into a position that Sousuke had never seen before, as if he was about to fight. “But you're wrong.”

And all of a sudden, Haru _moved_. Sousuke knew the freestyle swimmer was swift in the water, but he never knew what he was like on land. The first time they had met, Sousuke had easily caught him. But now... the boy resembled someone with the agility of a fricking cat.

Even though Haru was up against two alphas, the element of surprise was his advantage. He slammed the heel of his palm against Nosy's middle, attacking the most vulnerable spot over the diaphragm. Piercings next them tried to grasp the lithe form, but Haru side-stepped easily, before turning on his heel and sent Nosy to fall face-flat on the ground by delivering a kick right behind his knees.

Piercings was shouting profanities at him, but they words were ignored easily. It was clear that the alphas were holding back from hurting the omega, save the fact they were bent on locking him in place and biting his neck into submission. Too bad for them, Haru wasn't just going to play passive and let them do so.

Haru had been smart enough to completely immobilise one of the alphas, and within a few seconds Nosy was on the ground with a bleeding nose. He was clutching his stomach where the omega had brutally rained hits on, still doing a considerable amount of damage event though alphas were naturally tougher in their physiques.

Next, it was Piercing's turn to endure his wrath. The one-on-one match didn't last very long either, and Piercings was also down on his knees. The omega had the other by the hair, and for the first time in his life, exhibited superiority when he sank his own blunt teeth into the alpha's neck. Thus, the fight came to an end.

Sousuke could only stare in awe. Haru had just wiped both alphas clean in less time than he had engaged with Piercings. There was no hesitation or remorse when Haru dealt his blows, and the omega did it with all he had. It wasn't as brutal as how how the alphas fought, and oddly enough there was some form of elegance when Haru dealt with them.

Haru stood up and backed away once he was satisfied with his victory. He kept his sapphire eyes on the alphas in case they decided to try anything else funny.

Piercing didn't move, merely staring at the ground in defeat. Nosy got the idea that they had lost, and admitted defeat by avoid eye contact with the blue eyes when they met.

"The only alpha I'll accept is Sousuke, so if anyone else tries to hurt to him, they'll have to go through me, first," Haru declared out loud, wiping the back of his hand against his mouth. The sight was menacing, and the two alphas gritted their teeth before looking at each other.

A mutual message was evident between them, and they chose to flee the scene, tail between their legs. Haru let out a snort of victory, hands dropping to his side and relaxing from a defensive stance.

"You're the fucking craziest omega I've met," Sousuke huffed out. Though, the statement was partially incorrect since Haru was the only omega he had met so far. But he was pretty damn sure other omegas wouldn't act like what this one did. It would've taken a shit ton of will for an omega to go against an alpha, and it was no easy feat. One could even consider it a life-long achievement.

Sousuke still couldn't quite believe what had happened as the scene replayed in him mind. It was surreal from the start. Every punch and kick the swimmer delivered was precise; it wasn't how an amateur at fighting could move. "How the hell did you learn how to fight like that?"

Haru shrugged a little. "My parents were always overseas... They sent me to self-defence classes for safety. Didn't think I'd ever use it, though."

The Samezuka student swallowed. Note to self not to get on Haru's bad side.

"Makoto took classes with me, by the way."

That made two people.

He'd always thought that Haru was a rather passive person, both verbally and physically, and even more so the seemingly peace-loving Tachibana. Sousuke wasn't sure which of the two could fight better, but he had absolutely no intention of finding out.

Sousuke would've slapped a hand on his forehead if it weren't for his shoulder. No wonder Tachibana wasn't the least afraid of standing up against him during Nagi's incident. The guy had definitely more punch than his bite, and he was suddenly glad that Makoto didn't give him a potential good beating there and then. Yes, alphas usually had training since young, but it wasn't using a specific fighting style. It was to avoid potential abuse of strength, and there was a given law that alphas were disallowed to participate in tournaments of physical feat, like wrestling, to be fair.  

“Well that was embarrassing, having needed an omega defend my ass,” Sousuke mumbled, pride wounded. As brawn-headed as it sounded, strength was an alpha's everything. Having an injury that would permanently affect his life was bad enough, and now he had a track record of being protected by an omega who wasn't even his mate.

“So?” Haru asked with a bored tone as he knelt on a knee next to the alpha. "They weren't fighting fairly, either. They were taking advantage of your handicap. Even if they had truly won, I wouldn't have accepted it."

The omega could still see Sousuke sulking despite his consolation, and he sighed.

"If you weren't hurt, you'd win for sure," Sousuke heard the soft mutter after, and he gave a snort. Nanase was really thinking too highly of him. But he was rather... pleased Haru had such confidence in him.

"Either way, I'm glad", the alpha huffed out. Where he sat against the wall, Sousuke stared at Haru for a moment, and there was a sudden urge to touch the omega. His left hand reached out on its own accord.

Out of the corner of his eyes, Haru saw the hand approaching him and eyed it. There wasn't caution or anything, and Sousuke took it as an approval.

Large, rough hands caressed the corner of Haru's jaw, thumb brushing tracing the bone line. Teal eyes could see the mild swell of the skin inferior to the earlobe throbbing, and he recalled Haru's wrist being bitten and he picked up the said hand.

When their eyes met again, there was an unsaid intention that went through their heads. For the alpha, there was a sudden urge to mark... and for the omega, to be re-marked.

Sousuke pulled Haru closer with the wrist hit held. The omega complied, knowing fully well that his ability to move wasn't as compromised. As their faces drew closer, Sousuke angled his head to the side, while Haru's tilted back. It wasn't long before canines sank and broke skin at the neck, and Haru let out a very soft gasp. The alpha in Sousuke seemed to growl in satisfaction at being able to stake claim on the omega. The latter's scent was beginning to overwhelm his senses with this proximity, and it made his heart pound.

While biting was the necessary urge, Sousuke found himself trailing his lips lower to the mid of Haru's neck. He felt the boy's breath hitch, and a sly grin made its way to his features. Sousuke knew that the omega's gland was sensitive after the bite, and he wanted to incite more reactions from the passive individual. It seemed to be his driving force, and Sousuke clamped his teeth once more at a location less hidden but the short raven hair.

He licked and sucked at the very skin he had latched on that would be in plain sight. A part of him relished at the satisfaction when people who saw this would instantly know that Haru was taken – how the alpha had a claim on this omega from the Blood's perspective, and how people who would know that this person had a rather aggressive partner who blatantly left an angry red hickey for the world to see.

Sousuke found it completely ironic of what they were to each now. This was Nanase, the person he grew to hate and be jealous of. The guy whom he deemed to be selfish, for he had only eyes for water and mackerel (according to Rin). It wasn't even two weeks since they had met each other either, and it wasn't love-at-first-sight relation that ended them here, either. He could do without the sappiness, thank you very much.

It was a wonder to Sousuke how nothing else mattered to the boy; the laws and hierarchy of Blood, the bonding...

But he could definitely get used someone who didn't always play by the rules. It made everything less primal, and Sousuke very much preferred it to be this way.

When Sousuke pulled back, his heart skipped when he saw Haru's thoroughly flushed face that he had tried to hide behind a hand. It was then Sousuke could also see the teeth mark on the wrist that wasn't his, and he took that hand.

As much as he wanted to enjoy the rare sight of Haru's embarrassed face, his need to fully reclaim his omega took priority. With a precise angle, he sank his canine into the swollen vein, earning an abrupt gasp from Haru.

The contact wasn't as intimate as the previous, and ended off as quickly as it started. By then Haru had calmed down, and retreated by standing up.

Sousuke picked himself up as well, brushing his pants. He flinched when a hand touched his right shoulder, but it had been out of reflex more than pain. When he looked over to his side, Haru had an apologetic look on his face, and Sousuke found that really adorable. And he mentally slapped himself for thinkng that.

“It's fine. It doesn't hurt as much, now,” Sousuke assured. Almost subtly, he could see the corner of Haru's lips pull up in relief.

“Let's go back. They're waiting,” Haru said as he started walking. Sousuke watched him, and he happened to see the angry redness on his neck caused by him. Knowing that they were going to see the guys, perhaps this wouldn't be a good time parading hickeys just yet. And he didn't think the omega would want to show his friends either.

“Nanase, jacket,” Sousuke called out as he followed the omega.

Haru looked over his shoulder in wonder, and he saw Sousuke pointing to his neck. Inevitably, a blush crept to his face recalling the two bites on his neck, and reflexively zipped the Samezuka jacket up to the top. He turned away and continued walking, hiding his reddened face.

They walked side by side in silence. It was only when they turned at the corner did Sousuke heard a soft uttering from the omega, though unclear.

“What?” Sousuke prompted.

"Haru", said a little louder this time.

Sousuke blinked, having needed a moment to register the message before giving a smile.

"Sousuke," the alpha replied.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woo there you have it. We're down to out very last chapter next! I hope you've enjoyed this short story so far!  
> A kudos <3 or a comment perhaps? I relish in the joy of reading them XD //slapped


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Haru asks Sousuke to stay.

* * *

The butterfly swimmer was well and prepared for his ears to bleed upon reaching Haru's house. Rin started chewing his brains out even before he could take off his footwear at the genkan. The omega wasn't helping the least bit when he ignored the loud redhead and entered the house on his own.

"No more secrets! I hate it when I'm not being told things!" Rin slipped into his teary mode as he landed a fist on Sousuke's good shoulder. He really, really wanted to put the fist in Sousuke's face, but he didn't want to further ruin the features he liked.

"Why do you keep hiding from me? Aren't we best friends? No matter what, I wouldn't treat you any different," came a sharp hiccup. Rin was shaking against his chest, unable to hold back an actual sob this time.

Sousuke raised his hand, about to touch Rin and he pause. He glanced over at Haru, as if seeking permission. Haru, on the other hand, didn't think that it was needed at all, but appreciated how... Sousuke was being considerate. He gave a very small nod.

Sousuke thread his fingers through Rin's long red hair and pulled the other close. He buried his nose into the same locks, taking in Rin's scent discretely. It wasn't as appealing as he hoped it would, but it wasn't bad either. It reminded him of their shared room; the comfort of a place to be in.

"Haru, is something wrong? I heard Rin yelling... oh, sorry!" Makoto turned flustered when he saw the scene before him. But his embarrassment hadn't last long when he realised Sousuke's arm was in a sling, and that he had cuts and bruises all over his face and just about wherever skin showed.

"Yamazaki-kun! What happened? Another fight?" He asked worriedly.

"Two alphas," Haru replied and walked past his best friend. This time, Makoto got flustered for an entirely different reason.

"Come in quickly, so that I can help you patch up!" Makoto ushered. "Rei! Please help!"

"Yes?" The junior poked his head out and saw the reason he was being called out for.

Sousuke let Rin go just as he pulled back, and he could finally take his shoes off. He was being shoved into the living area non-too gently, and Sousuke wondered if they even knew how to treat someone with injury.

"Is it someone we know?" Rin asked between sniffles.

Sousuke shook his head. "Some random duo we've met before. Didn't think we've come across them again, though," he caste a quick glance at Haru, who merely nodded with his gaze averted.

"Huh.. wait, you just said 'again'. When was the first time!?" Shark-teeth barked out. As far as Rin knew, he's been with Sousuke just about every minute of the day, except-

"That morning, wasn't it, Haru?" Makoto spoke quicker. "When I had to go to school early."

"You said you were going for a run," Rin scowled. "When were you telling me you were going to _see_ Haru."

"I didn't go to _see_ him per se", Sousuke snorted, wondering if Rin was giving a deeper meaning to the physical act. "It was a coincidence."

"We were both on the way to the pharmacist. I was getting heat suppressant drugs. Yamazaki was getting painkillers," Haru slipped into the conversation, meeting teal eyes. He watched for a moment as Rei carefully placed a band-aid at Sousuke's temple. It looks funny on him. 

"You have a lot of explaining to do, Yamazaki Sousuke," Rin growled dangerously, and Sousuke felt a bead of sweat forming at the aggression displayed in his direction.

Haru fed Sousuke to a shark by the name of Matsuoka Rin as he headed to the kitchen, feeling a little hungry. He wanted to make mackerel. Where he was in the kitchen, he could hear the alpha giving yelps and annoyed snorts once in a while as he was being treated. Part of it was possibly Rin physically abusing the already-injured person, but he couldn't quite care least. They wouldn't kill him, after all.

He was preparing his mackerel halfway, putting it in the pan to cook when he heard someone approaching. Recognising the heavy but relatively quiet footsteps, he relaxed knowing it was just Makoto.

"Is everything okay now?" The other asked as he came to stand next to the chef.

"Yeah."

"You're not in any danger, are you?"

Haru shook his head as he flipped the fish to cook the other side, turning to look at his best friend when he heard a loud sigh.

"Sometimes I wondered if things would turn out a little different if um... say I was... an alpha?" Makoto's cheeks were turning red at his words. Haru didn't miss the underlying suggestion and he was taken aback.

“Makoto...”

"Erm, forget what I said! I was just babbling," the gentle person raised both his hands as if in surrender. It tugged at the omega's heart when he came to know Makoto's feelings now. All these while, they've always had a platonic friendship. Haru had always depended on Makoto, but as a best friend, nothing more. His heart ached hearing the dejected tone Makoto had just spoken in. 

"If you were an alpha..." Haru mumbled his thoughts, though relatively loud enough for the other to hear. 

"What? You'd totally be an omega, Makoto," a voice from the kitchen doorway interrupted.

"Rin!!" If possible, the bigger teen's face turned redder than ever.

"Come on, with that personality of yours, I can't imagine you being the least bit aggressive," the redhead snorted.

"Jeez, don't eavesdrop," Makoto sulked, so embarrassed that even his neck was red.

"I can't imagine you being an alpha either, Rin," Sousuke scoffed behind the redhead as he planted a hand on his head. Rin slapped the back of his hand against the broad chest, feeling insulted.

"Hey, Sousuke you bastard. Don't get all cocky just cos you're one," Rin bared his teeth threateningly.

"I want to be an alpha!" Nagisa jumped into the conversation, literally pouncing on the redhead's back since he was blocking the doorway.

"Nagisa would be the world's tiniest alpha," Rin teased evilly, and the blond puffed his cheeks.

"I'm still growing!! I'll definitely be taller than all of you," Nagisa pointed in challenge. “What about Rei-chan?”

“I can hear you, and I'm quite happy to excuse myself from this conversation”, said person's voice half-sang from where the kotatsu was in the living area. Everyone laughed, and even a smile was adorned on Haru's face.

Haru eventually got people who weren't helping in the kitchen out back to the living room, even Makoto. The rest resumed chatting up a storm, when Nagisa's face lit up with a scheming idea. He waited as the main character of the plan who was still busy cooking, and he talked to Rei to kill time.

When Haru was done cooking, he brought his plate of pan-fried mackerel into the living room. That was when Nagisa bounded over to Haru at the entryway. Signalling the other person to come close, he started to whisper something. Sapphire eyes glinted.

Sousuke, who had been busy chatting with Rin, looked up when he saw the omega towering him all of a sudden. Without warning, Haru swooped down, placing a quick kiss on the alpha's cheek.

In the background, Sousuke could register several sounds: Nagisa cheering, Rei yelling at Nagisa for outrage of modesty, a bang of the kotatsu followed by Rin's swearing, and Makoto giving an awkward squeak of embarrassment.

Haru pulled back after their skin made contact, and he went to sit on the other side, next to the redhead who was still suffering from his first cardiac arrest. Sousuke was sure his hearing hadn't deceived him when Nagisa said 'okay I'll buy you that mackerel burger'.

These guys (or more specifically, Hazuki) were using their relationship as entertainment.

"Has he always been this blunt?" Sousuke grunted.

"That's the Haru we know," Makoto chuckled beside the alpha, watching as Nagisa shook bored-looking Haru by the arm. Rei scolded him for bothering their senior when he was trying to eat. Of course, Nagisa brushed it off saying it was fine, and he tried to divert the attention on him to the alpha.

"Speaking of which, Sou-chan, how in the world did you put up a fight with that arm? You must've been really good to be able to fight in your current condition.”

The alpha could feel an eyebrow twitch with the pen name, but let it slid again.

“It wasn't me entirely. While I did actually put up a fight...” He trailed off with a sigh and rubbed his neck awkwardly. “I was actually on the losing end.”

“I intervened,” Haru finished, intitially picking at his mackerel. Somehow, Nagisa had stolen his chopsticks and was taking bites of the food rightfully his. But he didn't mind, because he heard Nagisa go 'delicious!'. He'd always appreciate it when people liked his cooking.

“You were able to!?” Rei blurted in shock. “Omegas don't ever partake in alpha fights unless they're strong enough, and more often if they are mated.”

Haru just shrugged. The people around the kotatsu fell silent in contemplation of what to say, and it was broken by the one who last spoke.

"Haruka-sempai is a recessive gene omega, meaning that he was born from two betas. It could explain why he's able to resist most of the Blood instincts, I'm guessing," Rei theorised.

"Or it's just a Haru thing," Makoto looked over at said person, who merely blinked and glanced away. He chuckled.

"I'm quite... Glad of that, though," Sousuke said softly, but everyone could hear the confession. All eyes were on him, expectant of a reason. The only one who wasn't currently making him uncomfortable was the omega, and Sousuke awkwardly sighed out.

"It's just... better this way, I guess. I was always taught by my alpha-beta parents that if I were ever to meet an omega, claim them immediately. Well, mostly my alpha father... he kept reiterating about how they're weaker and needed protection, but underlying all that he sounded like omegas were mere trophy prizes. It didn't sit well with me. Plus, I was too focused on swimming that I didn't care about Blood matters."

“That big dad of your was an alpha? No wonder I'd get scared of him easily when we were younger,” Rin laughed sheepishly, recalling the past. He used to hide behind his best friend whenever he saw Sousuke's dad, though he got along extremely well with his mother.

“My dad's the only member of his generation that stepped out of tradition to marry a beta. Doesn't sit well with the family, but they've come to terms with it.”

Sousuke paused to breathe a little, as well as think of what he ought to say next. It was the first time he could freely talk about his family bloodline.

The omega noticed a slight stressed-out frown forming on Sousuke's features, and held out his plate of mackerel to him. “Do you want to eat?” He asked.

Sousuke quirked an eyebrow. At the offer of food, his stomach started to grumble in hunger, and he remembered that he had yet to have eaten anything since breakfast.

“Sure.”

From there, everyone kept pinching Haru's mackerel. Surprisingly, even Sousuke, after the first bite. The latter mentally admitted that the fish was delicious, and Haru ended up having to make even more for the insatiable guests in the house. Thankfully, he had an ample stock of the fish and he was always pleased when others enjoyed his cooking.

* * *

 

Night came and everyone called it a day. Nagisa and Rei left first, seeing as they stayed a little further than the others.

Rin and Sousuke were next to go, lest they miss their last train home. They were descending the long stairway, when Rin spoke all of a sudden.

"I think... you should stay. With Haru." Sousuke was surprised by the suggestion that popped out of no where. “The guy's as sensitive as a brick but I could tell that when we left that he was hopping you'd stay.”

That, the alpha hadn't noticed. He couldn't quite read the stoic individual as well as Rin, and needless to say he was not even close to Tachibana's level. "Sure you can find your way back?" Sousuke teased.

"You're the one with the horrid sense of direction," Rin scoffed, elbowing the bigger guy in the ribs. He walked ahead, arms crossed behind his neck. "I've come here way more times than you. Plus, it's sunday tomorrow. I want to sleep in, not take care of a hopeless romantic."

Hearing what Rin had just said, Sousuke simply smiled.

"Just make sure you're back for school for monday! I don't want the teacher to bother me for your whereabouts. And!" Rin turned around as a finger pointed rudely at the alpha. "I expect you at swimming, too! I don't remember kicking you out, so don't give me a reason to!"

Sousuke blinked, and his smile grew wider. He watched as Rin continued towards the train station with a hand in the air to indicate his departure. Sousuke rounded and headed back up the steps, coincidentally bumping into the person who left Haru's house last when he reached the top.

Their eyes met, and there was a moment of awkwardness between the two. But Makoto composed himself quickly, and gave him a warm smile. He patted Sousuke's good shoulder as he walked by.

"I leave him in your hands."

It was subtle, but Sousuke was sure he heard sadness underneath the gentle voice.

When Sousuke returned to the Nanase household, he froze. The unmistakable scent of someone's heat cycle was drifting in the air. It was the strongest Sousuke's head had come to process and the response was a full-blown rut of his own, feeling his nether regions start to heat up in response.

"Oh, you're back," a familiar voice said, and teal eyes darted to the source, widening.

Around the corner of the genkan, the omega was standing there in casual attire – t-shirt and shorts, with a towel around his neck. The scent was even stronger now, and Sousuke could feel his heart ramming into his rib cage at an intense pace.

Haru showering must've caused his body temperature to increase, and the smell of the omega was now even stronger than the day when he went over to Samezuka. It was bad enough that Sousuke's muscles in his arms and legs were twitching to advance on the omega presenting his heat so blatantly.

"You didn't take the suppressant?" He breathed out.

"I was going to, before sleep."

He honestly hadn't expected Sousuke to come back in between, since he had left with Rin earlier. Haru preferred eating the suppressant before bed since it caused him to be drowsy, and didn't required a meal beforehand.

"God, Nana- Haru. If you didn't take it, I should leave-"

"No!" Haru interjected, and within a few steps was within reach of the retreating figure. He reached out and grabbed the alpha's arm. The contact caused Sousuke to freeze immediately.

With the new proximity between them, Sousuke's alpha was desperately crawling its way to the surface. Every single fibre of his body to fight back, up to the point that he was shaking where he stood.

"Stay." A single word could be heard.

"It's seriously taking everything I got not to jump you right now," Sousuke seethed through his teeth, and his hands fisted by his side. "You do know what might... _will_ happen if I stay." Haru was already near the end of his heat cycle. If the omega persisted maybe a day or two more, it would've subsided, and he could've continued to remain unbonded. That was what Haru had wanted all along... right?

There was a deafening silence that filled the room save two harsh breathing. A sudden regret ate at Sousuke's conscience for some reason.

Haru pulled on Sousuke's arm unexpectedly, and the sudden strength caused the alpha to turn in surprise. For the omega's physique, he was rather strong. Sapphire met teal for a brief second, and Sousuke saw Haru's lip finally move to give a reply that would determine the fate of their relationship.

"I do," Haru breathed out. “I said so, didn't I?”

_That you'd be the only alpha for me?_

“But that's only if you don't hate me.” Because all along, it was Sousuke who had an issue with him, and not the other way round.

Those words alone caused Sousuke's resolve to snap. Alpha instincts took over his mind like a black beast, and he instantly swooped in for the kill. In this case, his left hand cupped the back of Haru's neck and teeth relentlessly mashed the flesh of the pulsing gland inferior to Haru's ear. He heard the omega give an audible gasp, and it was music to his ears. The satisfaction of crunching down on the omega's gland, which caused further pheromones to be released, induced a dark, primal growl to escape Sousuke.

It made Haru to start to shake, but in anticipation and not fear. His hands found purchase in the alpha's shirt, and his mouth dropped open in a soundless gasp as a sense of satisfaction tingled down his spine.

Without releasing his teeth, Sousuke's hand ghosted across the skin of Haru's neck, and over the shirt. When he found the hem, he slid his hand underneath, earning a muffled gasp from the person in front of him. The omega's body was hot to to touch, caused by his own heat cycle temperature and the recent exit of his bath. It was welcoming to touch for the alpha's colder hand, and they started to roam the back of the smaller individual, physically mapping out every muscle contour and dip of the spine.

The omega shuddered at the cold fingertips leaving traces on his back. While they tickled a little, his nerves were starting to register the pleasure from the contact, and the touches left a yearning in their wake. 

Never in his life would he ever thought of being together with someone, much less another guy. Gender wasn't quite an issue for Haru, and needless to say a strong Blood like Sousuke. But right now, everything felt right, near complete, even. There was just one last step that needed to be done. 

"I want you," Sousuke heard the omega breathlessly say, and the former would gladly comply. 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> please don't kill me. I miscalculated. Looks like there would be one more chapter after all... Because if I posted everything altogether, it's a huge chunk of text, and that is pretty bad. I know this got cut off at a cliffy, and I'm really sorry for it D;
> 
> Please enjoy this short one while I frantically finish the (i promise!) last chapter :'D But I think it'll be worth the wait...?


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Take away the blanket and you get....

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'mbadatsmutplsburyme

* * *

It was only when Sousuke had let his teeth go did Haru find his lungs working again. The omega was breathing in copius amounts of alpha scent, and it made his head swim. It was the strongest ever hitting him, and his mind was screaming for him to submit. He wanted to give in, but not yet. He felt  _– needed-_ to test the alpha further more, inciting his aplha to see if Sousuke was a worthy mate. 

Words could not described how shocked Sousuke was when the omega went on his tip toes and sank his teeth with equal strength, if not harder, at the mid-side of Sousuke's neck. He didn't linger as long as Sousuke did his, but the chomp was enough to cause an instant bruise mark.

“Revenge,” was the only word escaping Haru's lips, and the other didn't miss the hint of playful undertone.

Sousuke eyed the remnants of the same treatment early in the day on Haru's neck. Without the Samezuka jacket, he could see the angry purple-redness that stood out like a sore thumb against Haru's pale skin. He recalled ever-nosy Hazuki questioning Haru to why he was still wearing the jacket when Haru's house was already warmed by the heater. The omega immediately retreated to the kitchen under pretense that he needed to make more mackerel, but Sousuke didn't miss the redness in the boy's cheeks.

Sousuke felt proud about it then, but now he grunted at the fact of how aggressive this omega was, contrary to popular beliefs. Haru was no where near as passive as the general omega population, as described by his father. But he quite enjoyed the challenge posed before him, and took matters into his own hands. 

Feeling a need to assert authority over this rebellious omega, Sousuke had Haru shoved up against the wall, as he pulled off the offending damp towel. Though his right arm was still in a brace, a leg between Haru's thigh was enough to immobilise him. 

Sapphire eyes shot a scowl and refused to submit. He knew he was caught in a compromising position as there was no way through this hulk of a brick. In fact, he continued to go against the alpha, attempting to shove the bigger teen away by the chest.

 _Right, they did mention something about omegas getting fiesty during courtship, and that was why seizing was necessary sometimes_ , Sousuke thought to himself. 

He almost blushed at the word 'courtship', but that was the fact of the matter at hand. Haru had accepted him as an alpha, and he had come to terms with Haru being an omega he wanted. Now, it was just the process of affirming the bond, and Sousuke found himself wanting to do just that. 

Haru sensed a change in the alpha as his scent turned aggressive. This in turn triggered his reflex to defend himself, but in a way no more than to further test waters. He was washed over by a sudden urge to push Sousuke to the edge and see just what exactly the alpha could do to make him submit. Had it been a safety mechanism? Perhaps, because the omega in Haru wanted a strong alpha who proved that he could be in control. 

It became a battle between them for the next minute - Haru made more effort in pushing Sousuke away, using a slight underhand method when he tugged at the strap of the shoulder brace. Instantly, it ticked Sousuke off, and the latter tackled Haru's chest for that few inches between their bodies. 

Without a quick glance at the mechanism of the shoulder brace, Sousuke undid it swiftly, and he heard an audible click of the omega's tongue. It sounded as if Haru had given in, but Sousuke took no chances. 

Once the brace joined the damp towel on the floor, Sousuke cuffed Haru's wrists effectively with his stronger right hand; one between his thumb and index finger, and the other between the middle and ring fingers. Haru tried to resist at the beginning, but was caught off guard when Sousuke's mouth went for his throat while his other hand dived into a region that Haru himself hardly explored. 

A sharp keening from the omega made Sousuke's stomach start to coil. The sounds escaping Haru was simply urging him on to do more. It prompted him on as he traced the evident V-line below the hip, thankful that the boy's shorts was elastic. When his fingers met another fabric, he raised a brow, because the material was nothing close to briefs or boxers. 

"Are you wearing your swimming jammers?" Sousuke asked incredulously. How anti-climatic. He knew Haru was weird to a certain extent, but this was just bizarre. 

Haru merely shrugged in response. He took the chance to try slipping out of the vice grip, but Sousuke caught him in the act quickly, tightening his hold. 

"No you don't", he scolded slightly, and received a mild scowl. Well, no matter what Haru wore, whatever was inside wouldn't change. 

Sousuke palmed the flesh of Haru's nether regions, feeling the bulge that proved the omega's gender. Haru started to writhe annoyingly, and this time it was Sousuke's turn to click his tongue. He pressed on, coming to slide his fingers on either side of the hardening length. He stroked with a teasing amount of pressure, and it made Haru throw his head back against the wall. 

The alpha used the chance to rub their necks together, friction causing slight heat. But the mild increase in temperature caused both alpha and omega pheromones to release excessively, and the two were cloaked in the scents that drove each other crazy. 

Haru relished the scent that made him feel protected, but he still wasn't ready to submit. There was something more that he yearned for from the alpha, but he couldn't tell what. He knew he had to rebel against Sousuke even more to find the answer. 

The omega took charge when his flexibility allowed him to raise his leg high enough to knee the other in the hip. There wasn't any damage caused, but it certainly had Sousuke narrowing his gaze in annoyance. 

"Stop that," Sousuke growled out. But of course, what was he expecting? Haru wouldn't just listen, because it was Haru. In fact, the omega persisted, twisting his wrist in order to try and break free. The last straw was when Haru unexpectedly pushed forward. He took a page from the alpha's book,  biting Sousuke in the collar bone where his height could reach. It was way harder than necessary and void of affection like the previous one, and something in Sousuke simply snapped. 

It had hurt a hell lot, more than any physical assault he had been receiving today. Haru hadn't pulled his bite on this one, and Sousuke could actually feel his entire collar bone ache. Thankfully, his shirt hadn't allowed direct contact, between teeth and skin, or else he was sure he would've bled. 

The alpha never wanted to be rough with this delicate procedure of courtship, but that was the last straw. Haru was just plainly being defiant, and if aggression was what he was offering, it would be returned in kind. 

Sousuke managed to flip Haru against the wall in a split second even before the raven-haired teen could process what was going on. He pinned him with his right arm fully pressed against Haru's back, while the left circled the slimmer frame and forced him to stay. Blue eyes widened in shock and he didn't stop his struggles against the heavier form.  

Without so much as a thought, the alpha leaned down and took the back of Haru's neck in his jaw. Much like a parent animal, Sousuke held onto the neck and sank his teeth even more for every twitch the omega made. It was an effective clip-on-a-scruff method, and it made Haru completely motionless before Sousuke.

Haru wasn't moving and inch or speaking, and it started to scare Sousuke. He hadn't seen what Haru's reaction was like when he was seized by Nagi, mostly because he took to fighting as a priority. But now that he could, panic rose in his chest. 

"Shit sorry," Sousuke apologised without thinking. Some part of him reassured that what he had done was not out of the norm; an alpha seizing an omega was for both of their safety, lest they hurt each other during the power struggle. But guilt ate at his gut when he remembered Haru didn't take to submitting very well. 

Just as Sousuke let Haru go, a single-worded gasp escaped the latter: "Want-" 

Puzzled, Sousuke turned Haru slightly, and glazed, unfocused sapphire eyes with fully dilated pupils met his teal ones. Pure submission was given, though Haru looked as if he was fighting the instincts. The heated blush on Haru's face wasn't helping with Sousuke's nerves, and the alpha growled when he attacked the other side of Haru's neck he had yet to bite before. 

After submitting, Haru had been a little more vocal, letting out a soft moan when Sousuke licked and nipped at his scent glands. The alpha has to admit, having a submissive Haru was just as enjoyable as having an aggressive Haru. 

"Sou-!" Haru's voice was cut off by a gasp when the alpha had him fully pushed against the wall again. This time, his body had lacked the will fight, and caved in under Sousuke's ministration. After being seized, his senses seem to have tripled in fold, registering every sight, scent and touch with hypersensitivity. It was driving his mind crazy as he tried to sort his voice out. 

It was only thanks to Sousuke's frame pressed up against him that allowed him to stay upright. His legs were weak, trembling even, as the alpha massaged his gland between teeth. It caused Haru's pheromones to release even more, and Sousuke indulged in the addictive smell.

The alpha's hands resumed their initial task of roaming the body presented before him, contouring the lithe but firmly toned body. He traced every curve and dips with the pads of his hands, and when he reached the hem of the shirt, started hiking it up the omega's body. 

"W-ait," Haru gasped out, mustering all he could to stop the other. "Upstairs... bed..." He managed to utter out, cheeks flushed from being turned on and embarrassed. 

Sousuke wasn't as affected, and merely nodded. When he released Haru, he hadn't expected the omega to just crumble to the ground. He caught Haru before his butt landed, and their eyes met. 

If he could, Sousuke would've chuckled out loud. Seeing Haru like this was strangely satisfying, but not in a sadistic manner. The look on Haru's face was rather priceless, as the boy was surprised at the lack of energy in his limbs. Sousuke understood that, and he took responsibility. 

In a swift move, he had Haru on his left shoulder, fireman-carry. Sousuke opted for a traditional princess-style, but his current shoulder condition isn't at its best. Perhaps in the future; plus, this position could be less embarrassing for the omega. 

It surprised Haru how easily his body was being lifted so easily. He wasn't exactly the lightest thing, but he guessed Sousuke had the strength and weight to counter this. 

Sousuke froze a little when he got Haru draped over his shoulder. He hadn't thought about this being a bad idea because it was an effective way to carry someone. However, a particular scent hit his nose and caused his rut to flare up immensely. It was the undeniable scent of omegas' natural wetness, akin to females. 

He wondered curtly if walking up stairs with a raging hard-on between his legs was possible. To his surprise, it was, and he made it to the top without either of them hitting the floor on the way up. He was thankful Haru didn't kick up a fuss being carried up the stairs; the omega was highly aware that walking on limp-noodle legs was too hard, must less resisting the alpha's actions. Instead, he busied counting the number of steps Sousuke had to take, and it summed up to twenty-two. 

"Second room," Haru said when they were on the upper floor. 

Sousuke heeded and skipped the first door, entering the next. He was pretty impressed at how kempt the room was, and stepped onto the carpet that felt good under his feet. Carefully, he dumped his luggage onto the bed, tripping a little. His hands reached out to avoid crashing into Haru, but that had also compressed his shoulder joint and he winced hard. 

Haru caught the look on Sousuke's faces and gave the shoulder a gentle squeeze. Teal eyes threw a mildly grateful look.

While the smell of pheromones was less intoxicating due to the change of location, it wouldn't be long before the whole room stank. 

"Strip," Sousuke half-ordered once the pain in shoulder was at a manageable level. 

Haru evidently shuddered at the tone used, and the deep voice caused his spine to tingle. He adhered to the instruction, removing his shirt first. With more of his skin exposed, his scent filled the alpha's lungs and he was once again being drugged. 

When Haru was about to remove his pants, he noticed something amiss; there was an odd wetness between his legs that was excessively moist even if he had been turned on for a while. He must've been too distracted by the alpha before to notice this oddity. Sousuke noticed the omega's fingers freezing at the hem of his shorts.

"Something wrong?" 

"It's... wet," Haru uttered as redness and heat creeped to his face.

"It's fine, it's normal," Sousuke reassured the omega who was blushing furiously by now. He didn't think Haru was aware of omega physiology, and someday he probably should give the guy a 101. But right now, it's practical. 

"It will happen during your heat cycle only. It's just... to make things easier," Sousuke coughed slightly. It was awkward trying to explain these sort of stuff. 

The information hadn't helped with Haru's mental health and he started to get nervous from this. It was extremely weird and uncomfortable. 

Sousuke could sense the omega's growing anxiety rolling off him. The last he needed was Haru to panic about something so normal for omegas, and he reacted quickly as any good alpha would. He brought their necks together against and rubbed them alongside, coaxing the scents out of each other. The moment Haru took in a lungful of alpha pheromones, his mind was easily distracted. It was really a drug administered by smell, and Haru could feel himself calming down. At the same time, though, he felt a growing annoyance to the constriction around his crotch and wanted it off, wet or not.

Sousuke took the lead again, caressing the exposed skin beneath him. By willpower alone, he had managed to keep the animalistic alpha side of him at bay. He was sure he had a limit to it, but as mentioned, he had better control than most. He wanted to do this courtship properly - to make the omega want him as much as he wanted Haru too. 

"Better?" Sousuke asked

"Off," Haru said this time, tugging the front of the alpha's shirt up to get the message across. For a moment there, Sousuke questioned the figure of authority here. Nevertheless, he listened, and took the garment off. 

Haru had to hold his breath when Sousuke stood half-naked. Sure, he had seen the swimming shirtless every time he swam, but this time it was different, because he was hit by an euphoric state that had him turn into jelly. Sousuke's body radiated pure alpha energy, and Haru had to avert his eyes and turn his head when Sousuke resumed his place kneeling on the bed in front of the omega. 

Sousuke relished the fact that Haru was so affected by his presence, and took the chance that the omega presented. He licked the scent gland and Haru barely stifled a moan. Hands immediately grasped Sousuke's trapz, and he was glad that Haru has avoided both shoulders altogether. 

The alpha's large hand palmed a route to Haru's crotch and his thumb outlined the curve that was a stiff erection. This time, Haru couldn't hold his voice back when Sousuke purposefully pinched the angle right below the sensitive head. 

Taking the pleasured gasps as approval, he inched his fingers under both the shorts and swimming jammers. The tight material was really getting on Sousuke's nerves has it hindered his advancement, and little did he know Haru was just as frustrated. 

"Take it off", the smaller teen keened out finally, and Sousuke could feel a victory smile tugging at the corner of his lips. He grasped both the shorts and jammers at either hips and tugged, uncaring about them rolling up with each other. He discarded it, before taking in the sight before him. 

Haru was flushed, hiding the lower half of his face behind a hand. Even then, he hadn't bothered to close his legs because it would've been too uncomfortable. His erection stood weeping, a size considerably fitting for a guy Haru's physique. What had the alphas attention more was the bit of fluid seeping out of Haru's entrance; the one that sent Sousuke straight into a wave of rut. 

The alpha went for Haru's neck again, gnawing the skin of the glands. He wanted to smell more, to feel more of the omega. Sousuke's fingers wrapped around the weeping erection and Haru gasped out loud. The simultaneous attack on his neck and his manhood undid him. The sensations spiked through his body like electricity, and poisoned him with a pleasure never experienced before. And Haru didn't think it could get any better, until something long intruded his rear. 

"Sou-" Haru whined out, unable to even say the full name when he felt the penetrating object start to wriggle within him. "-ke!" 

Sousuke was trying his damn best not to just plunge his entire length into Haru when he hear his name being called out so haphazardly. Having been in a rut for the past god-knows-how-long, he was near his limit in holding back. His pants were painfully restrictive, as it hadn't helped that his knot had also grew in size in response to the omega in heat. 

With a finger knuckle deep within Haru, he searched for the few spots that he knew would cause the omega to come undone. Having a complex anatomy caught between a male and female without knowledge, Sousuke was certain that Haru had never tried this before. He didn't think the recluse had any form of sexual experience, anyway. Maybe Tachibana -to which his alpha growled at the thought of-, but the suspicion was scratched when he saw no romantic relationship between them. That said, if they were really a couple, he wondered how differently things would've turned out. 

It was taking every willpower of Haru not to make any embarrassing sounds. He could feel his manhood twitch for every stroke Sousuke delivered to it, pleasure coursing through his body. He didn't know which one action to focus on, and a sharp gasp broke his moment of restraining his voice when Sousuke's finger brushed a spot that caused his back to arch backward. 

Experimentally, Souske did it again, coaxing the body to release more natural lubricant, for they would need it shortly. He mentally took note  of the sweet spot with an underlying grin. He wasted no time and added a second finger, knowing this would be slightly more uncomfortable for Haru. Relentlessly, he indulged prodding and stroking the one locationn that was making the omega mewl subconsciously. He wondered if Haru was aware that he had curled inwards, allowing Sousuke a better access to prep him. Hands found purchase on his shoulders, but he didn't mind the blunt pressure digging into his skin. In fact, he used it to judge just how Haru was feeling. 

"Sousuke-" Haru keened out. It was embarrassing to be able to feel the fingers exploring in such a place, but the newfound sensations he was getting out of it was immensely pleasurable. Those fingers would thrust in and out slightly, and stretched him sideways for something he could quite guess was larger than a few digits.  Coupled with the alpha stroking him, it was making his head swim in a frenzy of a growing lust.

The musky scent of pheromones from both party had clogged the entire room, and it made them intoxicated with each others' scents. Every breath was a lungful of omega scent, and a gentle redness adorned his cheeks. He pulled back from teasing just to have a good look at Haru's face that was thoroughly flushed, sapphire eyes glazed and unfocused. It was a satisfying look, and it urged him on. 

Finally, a third finger was added and slight pain caused Haru to flinched. Sousuke gave his erection a firm stroke which served as a pleasurable distraction, and Haru was once again moaning. 

Long digits carefully stretched the opening, making scissoring actions with all but never once neglecting the spot which sent shudders down Haru's spine. Once he deemed sufficient, Susouke had his fingers retreat, bemused when a disappointed grunt escaped the omega. He lifted the transparent fluid coated digits and knowing that Haru would be watching, gave the sweet-smelling substance a good lick. 

It was as if a drug was being administered to him, and Sousuke found it addictive. His rut was burning for attention now that omega was showing complete submission, ready to be claimed. 

Sousuke startled a little when Haru had helped himself to undoing the swimmer's pants. Once it dropped enough, a manhood of considerable size stood proudly, both length and girth slightly larger than what Haru had expected. It scared him a little, wondering how a length this size could- 

Haru blushed at the thought, hard. Sousuke didn't miss his features, and was rather pleased with the reaction. It was an asset he could be hell proud of, and its size merely bigger than normal for the first time because of the rut triggering his knot to start to take form for the first time. It wasn't that big, yet, resembling a mild swell at the base of his penis. 

Sousuke gave Haru a sudden pushed down to the bed, making the omega lie flat on his back. Haru let out a small yelp at the unexpected action, before his heart skipped a beat when he saw Sousuke creep up to join him on the bed, pants and underwear fully discarded. There was a predatory look in Sousuke's eyes, and it started to frighten him.

The alpha could see the lithe body tense up at the advance, and the last thing he'd want to do was scare Haru. Bother and annoy, yes, but never scare. He had lived his life as being one of the most intimidating alphas even without meaning to, and the last thing he'd want was Haru - _his mate_ -, to see him under the same light. 

Sousuke tried his best to soften his gaze, knowing that it was his alpha side triggering the intimidating front. Carefully, he reached over and cupped the back of Haru's neck, and did what he did best to calm the omega down. As much as his rut was craving to dominate, his compassionate side hauled the primal instincts. He brought their necks together, eliciting a soft rumble in his chest that would've resembled a low purr. It was a small trick that his father had taught him, saying that it would make any person of any class calm down instantly. In a way, it resembled seizing, but it was a non-physical method that only pureblood alphas wielded in order to prove that they were not a threat. True to his father's words, Haru started to relax, but not in a submissive manner that was uncomfortable for him. 

"I want you," Sousuke whispered out as he pulled back to meet sapphire orbs. He was mildly surprised at his own words, since he was in no way a romantic sap. 

Haru's mouth opened slightly, and if possible, his face grew a tinge redder than it already was. In the end, no words came out, but Haru nodded instead. 

Sousuke returned the action at the approval given and while his mouth teased the scent gland of Haru's neck, his hand picked up the slick from the omega and used it to coat his length. He'd use a proper lube, but there was a higher risk of infection during an omega's heat. Outside the heat period, it would be fine, and that was a reason why omegas could only get wet during their heats. 

Haru blushed his legs being lifted and parted. His heart skipped as his hands pressed against Sousuke's broad chest, but not pushing. A blunt pressure was felt at his entrance, and Sousuke made a sly move of biting his already sensitive gland while breaching his ring of muscle up to the crown. 

The omega gasped at the intrusion, and there was a mix of pain and pleasure, though he undeniably felt more of the latter. The sensations merely heightened when Sousuke inched himself in slowly, all the way up to the start of the knot.

"Shit..." Cursed out the alpha. The omega's tightness and heat that he was sheathed in made his hips tempted to move. But not yet. He didn't want to move and risk damaging the omega's internal walls, especially when the heat made Haru delicate in more ways than one.

Haru panted heavily, his head thrown back slightly. Too many different sort of emotions attacked his mind at the same time, and everything made him giddy. He could feel Sousuke thrust at a painfully slow pace, but at that same the the ache coming from such location embarrassed him. 

"Are you ok?" The omega heard the question in a surprisingly gentle tone, and it made him shudder. He managed to nod. "I'm moving." 

A loud gasp escaped Haru when Sousuke had drawn back, leaving only the head of his length inside. He slipped back in easily due to the wetness encasing his penis, and the omega was undeniably wetter inside. 

There was an insignificant amount of pain with the intrusion this time, and Haru rocked his hips upwards for better access. He wanted Sousuke to reach deeper and hit the very spot the alpha had been torturing him with earlier. When Sousuke does actually brush up against it, he moaned the other's name. 

Sousuke observed Haru's features for a bit, and when he saw pure bliss adorning the omega's face. Rising up on his knees, his hands gripped either thighs, spreading them apart up to Haru's flexibility allowed. This time, he gave a swift jerked of his hips as one last experimentally move to test the situation. Another strangled call of his name was his cue, and Sousuke completely gave into to pure, animalistic Blood lust. 

He grunted as he started to pound his hardened length into the body deliciously spread before him. His fingers gripped the omega's hips tightly, preventing excessive recoil as he hammered into the tight heat. 

Haru would buck almost every time the heated flesh plunged back into his body, and there was a sensation of fullness whenever Sousuke was fully sheathed within him. He yearned for the feeling every single moment, and there was a primal urge to be filled, deeply. 

Sousuke kept his pace consistent, retreating up til only the tip remained inside, before thrusting in with a swift move. There was an unspeakable pleasure whenever his knot was able to enter too, and he could feel it swell even bigger now. The need and want of being fully mated with the omega flipped a switch in his head, and his hips pounded against Haru's without mercy.

The omega below him mewled in a such a cute way that Sousuke sincerely hoped no one would ever hear or see Haru like it. The sudden possessiveness struck him, and he felt there was a need to remind the omega who he belonged to. Sousuke grabbed the neglected weeping length between their bodies and started to pump it, while the other hand started to tease the little nubs on Haru's chest. His mouth found the spot it loved to sink its teeth in, and it was on the verge of mauling Haru's already bruised neck. 

Haru took the chance to wrap his slimmer arms around Sousuke's back, curling his body inwards as the latter continued to ram into him over and over. It made a familiar heat coil in his nether regions, and his lower half writhed as he could feel the buildup of tension within the area. Sousuke's movement had also started to turn erratic and uncoordinated, unlike at the start. 

"Sou-" Haru mewled out as his fingers started to claw the broad back. He couldn't last any longer with every part of body feeling pleasure. He couldn't even care less about how embarrassing he sounded when Sousuke picked up the pace in both hammering him and jacking him off. It was driving him crazy with the need to come. 

As if reading the his mind, Sousuke whispered with breathlessly at Haru's ear: "Just come for me." 

The alpha's word was law to the omega's mind, and Haru gave himself into the ministrations, arching his back as he cried out. Sousuke's wrist gave a sharp snap and squeeze to the length he held, knowing it would make Haru writhe in pleasure. It worked, and the omega shot a string of cum between their bodies, some getting onto Sousuke's muscular body. But he didn't care, as his own body was instantly responding to Haru's orgasm. 

The ring of muscles tightened around Sousuke's length even more, coaxing the alpha to come as well. He plunged the deepest he could, relishing the heat as he could feel his own orgasm coming. His thrusting became short and erratic, the sound of skin slapping against skin together with Haru's moaning drove him over the edge. 

Something snapped in the alpha's mind and he made one last thrust, forcing the large knot at the base of his penis through the tight muscles. He knew it would hurt the omega slightly, but it was an instinct-driven maneuver. 

Sousuke let out a sharp sigh between clenched teeth as came deep into Haru's body. Simultaneously, his knot inflated to a considerable size that forced him to remained within the omega with no chance of removal, not unless one of them gets badly hurt. Sousuke could hear Haru let out a soft whine, knowing that his knot was probably causing some discomfort and pain, but they'd had to deal with it for the next ten or fifteen minutes before the knot would decrease in size. 

As carefully as he could, Sousuke shifted their two bodies in a manner that ended Haru lying on top of him. He was being extremely cautious of the omega's body, but had to be aware of his own as well. His shoulder was already acting up during their activity, and he couldn't afford to aggravate it more. Lying on his back helped, and it would be a little more comfortable for the omega too.

Haru had been too spent and tired from the orgasm to even care about how he was being treated like a ragdoll, made to lie on top of Sousuke with his cum sandwiched between them. All he wanted to do now was close his eyes and sleep off the tiredness, comforted by the presence of the alpha alone. 

It was highly uncomfortable to still have Sousuke's dick up his ass, but he hadn't the strength to complain about it. Plus, every time he shifted, there would be a slight pain because for some reason, the alpha seemed to be stuck inside. It must've been some kinky stuff of the Blood, but irregardless, Haru felt satisfied being mated. 

The never ending itch of his neck and burning of his body had finally subsided, fulfilled by the intercourse with an alpha he wanted. There was a purr satisfaction that rumbled through Haru's body as he curled up on Sousuke's warm body. 

"Are you purring?" Sousuke asked. Haru craned his neck to peer up  teal eyes, and raised a brow in question. "No, nevermind..." 

Sousuke swore he heard the omega purr, exactly like a contented cat. He didn't think Haru was aware of it, but it was no big deal. 

A hand of his thread through the raven hair settled on his chest. He relished the feel of soft strands, though mildly slicked from sweat. He didn't care for bodily fluids that most people would be mindful of. 

An evenly paced breathing was brought to Sousuke's attention, and he realised that Haru fallen asleep on his chest. The omega's hand was curled into a slight fist next to his head, and Sousuke was highly convinced that this guy was a cat. Stoic, agile, a bit of an ass... Those were the perfect ingredients for the little menace. 

Nevertheless, he was glad. Sousuke honestly didn't think he would find an omega (not that he actively was) in his lifetime. Much less one he had to go through immense trouble with. He felt rather stupid and childish for treating Haru the way he did in their early meeting, and he knew he owed the omega a proper apology. But that could be done later. Right now, he simply wanted to hold onto the person whom he would be with, most likely for forever, and hoped that time would stand still for this perfect moment. 

* * *

 

"I said I was sorry, didn't I?" The alpha grunted under his breath. "It's not like I can help it," he added softly after.

Haru still threw him a mild scowl, but made no movement or spoke any words to show that he was either still angry or not. The reason being that when they woke up in the morning, they had dried cum stuck on their bodies and they reeked disgustingly of sex. But what got Haru peeved the most was that Sousuke's flaccid dick was still in him when he woke, and had pretty much plugged all of the alpha's seed in his body, causing a massively rude awakening in the form of a stomach ache. 

While it may not seem like it, Haru was the type who pined for hygiene, and sleeping eight hours with cum up your behind was definitely not on his hygiene list. 

He couldn't blame Sousuke entirely, since it was also his fault for falling asleep without cleaning himself up. But he still got a little mad, nevertheless. 

Sapphire eyes watched Sousuke sulk at the doorway of the kitchen. It was rather cute to see such a big, hulking man pouting like a small kid. He was showered, and decked in the shirt he came in with the day before, together with some pants that Haru could lend as it had a drawstring for size-flexibility. He half-wondered if the alpha went commando underneath, but he caste the thought aside, not needing to get turned on early in the morning with unnecessary thoughts. 

Haru served the mackerel slices on a plate, himself decked in a shirt and shorts. As he sauntered past the alpha by the doorway, he reached out and brushed his fingers along the skin under Sousuke's ear, and the alpha raised a high brow. 

"You look cute when you sulk," Haru said, looking straight into the other's eyes. Sousuke was taken back a little by the statement and redness crept to his cheeks. 

"What the hell, don't change the topic so suddenly," Sousuke groaned as he went into the kitchen to pick up the two bowls of rice Haru had prepared earlier. 

Haru made mackerel (of course) and a side of sweetened egg. Both of them started eating at the kotatsu and Sousuke was flabbergasted.

"Damn, Haru. You should be a chef or something. I thought my mom cooks best but you seriously ace this." 

It was Haru's turn to turn a little red this time, and the omega nibbled on the ends of his chopsticks a little. 

"My parents mostly work overseas, so my grandma taught me how to cook these dishes. Her specialty was mackerel, so I..." 

Sousuke didn't miss the sadness in those sapphire eyes. Having seen a small altar up on the living room ceiling, he pieced everything together easily. Feeling the sudden urge to protect his omega, Sousuke scooted close to Haru and pulled the smaller guy into his arms. He buried his nose into the black hair, taking a good whiff of the pleasant scent. 

"I'll be with you. That I swear my life on," Sousuke declared without hesitation. It was sudden, considering that it was only the beginning of their relationship, but he was serious. An alpha's words to an omega was worth more than just words; it was a promise, perhaps even a law. 

Haru reached up and grasped the arm wrapped across his middle. He felt safe for once. He hardly had any physical contact with anyone, not even Makoto ever since they were in middle school. Sure, Nagisa would glomp him once in a while, but there was no affection to it. But when Sousuke held him, he could feel the touch and yearning he's lack all his life due to the absence of his parents, and even more so when his grandmother passed on. He felt safe... he felt at home for the very first time after so many years.

Haru missed it. 

Sousuke could sense his omega relaxing, and the uptight scent had dissipated. He noticed that after bonding, he became hyperaware of Haru's scent. Not just in the heat cycle sort of way, but he could pick up more emotions that Haru never showed on his face. His scent says it all now. 

"It's... a little quick to say it now, but after we graduate, we should um... probably stay together. Somewhere," Sousuke swallowed. "God I feel like an idiot saying that." 

"Don't," Haru cut in, looking over his shoulder and up to meet teal eyes. There was a glint in them that had Sousuke mesmerized by them before. "I'd want that." 

Sousuke didn't expect butterflies to start emerging in his stomach when he heard those words. As crazy as he sounded, he felt as if Haru had just accepted his marriage proposal. It was a silly thought to normal people, but that was pretty much being a bonded alpha and omega pair was; a Blood form of marriage. 

They resumed eating, with Haru now situated in Sousuke's lap. During the meal, Haru's mind happened to drift to their respective best friends.

"Rin went back on his own yesterday?" 

"Yeah," Sousuke replied, popping a chunk of egg into his mouth. "I'll probably head back shortly, though. I've got some work to do." 

Haru nodded. Once they were done, they cleaned up and half an hour later, he watched Sousuke wearing the shoulder brace. The alpha was mildly surprised when Haru wore his footwear next to him.

"I'm dropping by Makoto's." Sousuke didn't ask for a reason. As a mated pair, he knew Haru wouldn't do anything immoral. It was ingrained in their blood. Plus, he still respected the fact that the two were close friends, just as he was with Rin, though he was still a pinch jealous of it. 

The two left Haru's house and descended the long stairway. Sousuke had initially said a 'bye' when Haru stepped through the Tachibana household's front gate, but his feet paused when he unmistakenly heard Haru saying: "Rin's shoes." 

Frowning and curious to why Rin's footwear would be at Tachibana's, Sousuke decided to self-impose, following Haru towards the house. It must've been some sort of trend for the people of Iwatobi to leave their doors open, because the two of them has just entered the Tachibana's residence without so much as a knock or doorbell. 

Inside, the house was quiet and empty, and Sousuke continued tailing the omega to the second floor. 

"Makoto's parents always bring Ren and Ran to the mall on sunday mornings to get groceries. Usually, Makoto doesn't go cos he sleeps in on sundays." 

Sousuke raised a brow. 'Ren' and 'Ran' must've been Tachibana's siblings. He blinked incredulously as Haru simply helped himself to opening a particular door and entering. 

From the doorway, he could see the mildly darker interior as the curtains of the window blocked out a decent amount of sunlight. It rendered a cozy amount of lighting inside, enough to be able to see, but it wasn't too bright either. The floor was scattered with unidentified clothing, but Sousuke was more focused on a huddled figure on the bed at the far end of the room, probably Tachibana. 

"Wh- Haru!" Sousuke seethed as softly as he could when he saw the omega took the sheets off the sleeping person. The alpha had taken a few steps into the room to try and stop the crazy recluse, when his eyes froze on just who exactly was... or were, to be exact, sleeping in the bed. 

Rin and Makoto were still sleeping, unaware of the sapphire and teal eyes staring down at them. The redhead was pillowing on the other's arm, body curled against the bigger one. Makoto, on the other hand, was sleeping on his side facing Rin, face buried in the crimson locks. The other arm not treated as a pillow was loosely draped over the Rin's middle. It would've been a cute sight of friends huddled together, if it weren't for the fact that the two were butt-naked.

They looked undeniably good together, but that was besides the point.

"Rin!" Sousuke barked out, not caring for volume any more. 

Makoto was the one who stirred first, since he tend to be more sleep-responsive because of his siblings.

"Haru?" The teen rubbed his eye. "Why are you-"

"AGH!" A loud shout sounded by his ear and Makoto winced. There was a sudden movement next to him, and when he could finally open his eyes without tears getting in the way, he saw Rin backed against the wall with the blanket wrapped around him, leaving himself exposed for the world to see.

"You guys are getting it wrong!" Rin screeched frantically with a hand outstretched. 

"We didn't even say anything," Haru didn't do anything much more than a blink as he observed how Rin's face was becoming his hair color. He couldn't see Sousuke rolling his eyes since the latter was behind him.

"Rin, calm down. You're being too loud in the morning", Makoto rubbed his ear. "The neighbours will-" 

"Makoto! How do you expect me to calm down when Haru and Sousuke just waltz into your room without prior noti-" 

The redhead was effectively cut off when Makoto had sat up during his rambling, and now had his mouth over Rin's. The redhead was beyond shocked by what the usually shy person had just done in front of their best friends. 

It was like a tazer to his brain, and Rin completely zoned out. Makoto, on the other hand, didn't seem to care less and plopped back down on the bed, resuming a soft snore, oblivious to what he had just done. 

"Okay... what the hell just happened...?" Sousuke drawled out slowly. He stared at the person who was back to snoozing, and his eyes subtly caught sight of Makoto's...

Okay, they were comparable after all. Makoto must've have had some genetic lineage of alpha blood to be this huge.

"Makoto's not a morning person," Haru shrugged. "Anyway, I'll leave you two to do what you do," he turned on his heel.

"Whoah, hold it Haru. It's not what you think, okay?" 

"What's not what I think?" The raven-haired individual looked over his shoulder. To Rin, Haru seemed angry, maybe betrayed or something. 

However, from Sousuke's perspective, he could tell the true emotion of his omega by scent. He'd expected Haru to be angry or shocked, or anything along those lines like he was. But there was none of that. 

The omega was actually feeling glad.

"Um..." Rin blushed furiously as he shrank back, pulling the blanket closer to his body. A hand raked through his hair, and his red eyes averted from meeting blue ones. "I... I like him... okay..." 

"Then continue liking him, because Makoto has always liked you, too." Rin's head snapped up and no words could describe what he felt when he saw the rarest smile on Haru's face. 

It tugged at Rin's heart in a manner than made him explode in joy. He couldn't quite contain the emotion anymore and a tear trickled down his cheek. 

"Yea," the redhead could finally reply through a hiccup as he brushed away the wet trail on his face. His eyes drifted to Sousuke this time, as if asking for an opinion or approval. 

The alpha said nothing, merely giving a grin that Rin, as his bestie, could interpret as "yes". 

Rin clutched the sheets as a toothy smile adorned his face. He really wished Makoto wasn't being a dead log right now to hear what Haru and Sousuke had just said or did.  

"Thanks, guys..." He uttered out as he heard the door slowly close behind the two.

"Use a condom, Rin," Haru left his departing words as the door clicked.

Behind, he could hear an audible, loud "FUCK OFF, HARU.".

* * *

 This Morbid Feeling Isn't Love <End>

* * *

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Be nice, Haru-chan~~
> 
> So we've come to the end of TMFIL! But don't worry, it won't end there ;) I'm definitely going to have my way with the boys in more ways than one, so do look forward to it!  
> This is like, the first time I wrote so much for a smut scene. I'm actually wondering if it's too much O_o;;
> 
> I cannot resist not leaving Rin and Mako alone if there's SouHaru. Those two deserve as much love as any others. 
> 
> In any case, feel free to comment prompts/requests of situations that you'd like the pair(s) to be in. However, there is absolutely no polygamy going on (as much as I'd love that!) This is a pure SouHaru + MakoRin series X) 
> 
> Thank you for your supports thus far!! I really hope you've enjoyed this, and catch you soon~~
> 
> Look out for the sequel: This Odd Feeling Isn't Jealousy  
> and/or MakoRin's: This Sudden Feeling Isn't Desire


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